Uncle Sam
by HuluOriginal
Summary: As a young boy, Ichika Orimura is abducted by Phantom Task. However, before Chifuyu could arrive to save her little brother, Ichika is taken by another organization. An American organization that cares little for the treaties and the rules that make war into a game. After deciding to join Uncle Sam in his pursuit of 'freedom' and 'democracy', Ichika finds himself at the IS academy.
1. Chapter 1

**Please read: As of 9/10/2020, all existing chapters have been rewritten into a revised/slight reimagining of the established story. I highly suggest you read this fanfiction from chapter one if you have already started reading before the aforementioned date. Thank you for reading this story and I appreciate your support. **

* * *

Muddled darkness was all the young Ichika Orimura could see through whatever was covering his eyes. The barest hints of light and shadows moving to and fro his peripherals along with the light sounds of footsteps on concrete were the only things that clued the boy to his situation. He didn't have much time to ponder nor pity himself however as the blindfold obscuring his vision was roughly yanked down.

"Black hair, brown eyes, the features check out. This runt's Orimura's brother alright. M will be pleased for once," a woman snorted, crossing her arms.

Ichika's eyes squinted as the overhead lights momentarily blinded him before snapping his wide eyes to the woman who just spoke. She had shoulder length black hair that neatly framed her face, a disinterested visage painted on her features.

Her eyes however made the boy shrink into himself. Contrasting her aloof countenance, her red eyes glimmered with restrained cruelty. Sadistic enough to seek pleasure from others suffering but held in check by a cold professionalism.

"You know, we've still got some time. Why don't we have a little fun with the kid. I got a brand new knife just for this kind of stuff," another woman with long brown hair chuckled, a manic smile smeared across her face.

The women narrowed their eyes however as the soft roar Ichika recognized as the sounds of an IS touching down to land interrupted whatever act of cruelty that was about to play out.

"The hell? It's too early for Orimura," the woman with brown hair growled.

Blonde hair swayed from side to side as another woman entered the warehouse. The new woman eyed the smuggled weapons that lined the warehouse alongside the metallic frames of two stolen IS in their inactive form.

"Idiot, did you forget the American? I'll break both your damn legs if you ignore another pre-op briefing. We're making a deal with the Americans while we're here. Knocking out two bird with one stone and all that," the red eyed woman with black hair hissed.

The blonde's gaze flipped from the two women to the obviously kidnapped boy. Had she seen this kid somewhere before? The boy's features were familiar to the blonde somehow.

"I didn't realize Phantom Task dirtied themselves with human trafficking. Talk about unprofessional," the blonde remarked with a condescending shake of her head.

The black haired woman bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood. This was why she hated Americans, they were oh so great and patronizing.

"We don't, just a standard abduction operation we're in the middle of. One that doesn't concern you whatsoever," she snarled.

The blonde frowned, flicking her eyes to the stolen IS before settling back on the boy. Shit, now she knew why she recognized the brat. This was Ichika Orimura, Chifuyu goddamn Orimura's little brother. There was no way the Brunhilde herself would be happy that her kid brother was being held by the world's leading terrorist organization. Was she on her way now?

"I don't like this, the deal's off," the blonde said brusquely, turning on her heel and heading back where she came.

"Stop right there you bitch," the woman with long brown hair growled, bringing a pistol aimed to the back of the blonde's head. "Boss isn't gonna like you flaking… and neither am I. Now how about you turn back around and finish the deal before I finish you."

The woman turned around, her cold fury encapsulated within a single frown. "I know you Phantom Task pilots aren't very bright, but do you realize who you're pointing that thing at? Surely you aren't so brain dead as to forget that Uncle Sam doesn't forget nor forgive such blatant transgressions. Be thankful that we barely tolerate you trash in the first place."

The blonde activated her IS in a flash, a bulkier model with heavy armor plates and two enormous howitzer cannons mounted to her shoulders. The heavy metal plating surrounded her form and its energy field shimmered slightly as if daring anything to try and pierce the barrier. Any american insignia that was standard to U.S forces was conspicuously missing from her IS.

The two Phantom Task pilots activated their own IS in response and a standoff soon ensued.

The three women, so immersed in their shared disdain of each other, failed to notice the young Ichika slowly and awkwardly wriggling towards the edge of the warehouse despite his wrists and ankles being bound.

His temporary freedom of attention was not long however.

"Get down here Gretta and beat the kid unconscious or something. He's seen enough of this shit show," the woman with black hair ordered to seemingly no one.

A black IS perched in the ceiling slammed down next to Ichika. Had she been hiding there the entire time? Ichika didn't question it as panic flooded through him and he squirmed back in fright.

"Not one to beat on kids, but orders are ordered right? Nothing personal kiddo," the woman huffed, taking a menacing step towards the prone boy.

In his panic, Ichika shuffled backwards right into the frame of one of the stolen IS with an audible *thunk*. To the shock every occupant of the warehouse, the IS whirred to life, responding to a potential pilot's touch.

"No fucking wa-" the woman with black hair began to mutter before being cut of by the harsh buzz of her radio. A single transmission blared for all to hear.

"The mission is a success and Orimura has located your position, withdraw immediately", a female voice intoned over the radio waves.

"Fuck me, grab the kid Gretta. There's no way we're letting him go with what we just saw," the black haired woman hissed. Her eyes narrowed as her gaze returned to the American who was now smirking victoriously.

"The deal is a bust, but maybe we can gain something much more valuable than two dinky IS models. All teams move in," Angela said, running a hand through her golden hair, already ruminating the potential of the captured boy.

The roof of the warehouse burst open, natural rays of sunlight shining into the warehouse. Several IS with American insignia, unlike the blonde's, soon descended while squads of men shuffled in from side entryways.

"So it was all a setup?" the black haired woman spat, cautiously eyeing the new enemies.

"Just a precaution. You didn't really think that we would really trust you people did you? Don't get me wrong, Uncle Sam still values your group's cooperation with ours. However, something far more interesting has presented itself. I'm sure you understand."

"We took the kid, we're leaving with him. You can have your two IS as according to the deal so how about you fuck off," the brown haired woman snarled.

The blonde's smirk waned, growing tired of the situation. "The boy comes with us. Unless you really believe you can escape with not only our organization but Orimura as well bearing down on you?"

"Do you think we can't?" The brown haired woman taunted, charging her IS's mini railgun and aiming it at the Americans.

The blonde laughed, instantly calling the bluff. "Don't worry, we still have orders to play nice. Just hand the boy over and our business is done. Run along now, or else big bad Orimura will get you. Even we recognize her power you know."

The brown haired woman bit her lip. "What's saying we don't expose you shitbags for what you really are? All your dealings with Phantom Task, your little organization, and what about your blatant disregard for the Alaska Treaty?"

"You really think anybody would believe you? You, terrorist scum, as opposed to me, a stalwart defender of freedom and democracy," Angela mocked with a dramatic wave of her hand.

"Enough! Our mission is complete. We withdraw immediately," the black haired woman commanded with a sharp frown.

"But-"

"We withdraw or I'll kill you right here in front of the Americans and haul your IS back to base", she warned.

The two other phantom task pilots scowled, sending a furious glance at the Americans before following the black haired Phantom Task pilot in full retreat.

The discarded Ichika looked to the approaching woman with a mixture of fear, suspicion, and maybe an inkling of gratitude. Where was Chifuyu-nee? Wasn't she supposed to rescue him?

"Hey kid, are you hurt? I hope those terrorists didn't harm a hair on your little head. You can call me Angela by the way, you're safe now," the blonde now identified as Angela soothed, deactivating her IS and kneeling in front of the boy.

"Let me get those uncomfortable bindings off you," Angela offered, giving an inviting wave of her hands.

Ichika sat frozen for a few seconds before shaking himself from his stupor. Hesitantly, he squirmed forwards into Angela's arms, letting the woman cut the wire binding his wrists and ankles.

"Listen buddy, we're going to have to take you to our home for a bit. It's all boring adult politics and stuff. But don't worry, we'll treat you good, we're not like Phantom Task," Angela cooed, patting Ichika's shoulder comfortingly.

Ichika knew a lot about the IS, how could he not when his sister was the pilot she was. He understood what had just happened, he understood he had become someone special, he understood he had just been saved by kind people. Thus, he nodded resolutely to the woman, putting on the bravest face he could muster.

"Thatta boy, we'll take care of you," Angela praised, ruffling the boy's hair. "Skunk, get over here and take the kid back where it's safe. Oh, and get your squads to haul off those stolen IS, they are American IS from this day onward."

Ichika was quickly led by the hand of the woman dubbed 'Skunk' by Angela . He recognized her as one of the American IS pilots that had crashed through the ceiling to save him. For some reason, he remembered a time when he and his sister sat down for dinner once and Chifuyu-nee complained about Americans. He couldn't quite remember what she said though. Ichika supposed it didn't matter and shook his head to clear the random thought. He was safe now.

"What's your name little man?" the woman named Skunk asked with a questioning look.

"O-Orimura Ichika."

A spark of recognition flashed in her eye. "Orimura huh, that makes a lot of sense. Rest easy though, we'll protect you from now on. America extends its help to those who need it and all that."

Ichika failed to hear the soft self deprecating chuckle that followed.

Skunk led Ichika outside the warehouse where a helicopter was waiting. She waved a hand to get the pilot's attention, "captain says the kid needs immediate extraction back to the states."

The pilot nodded wordlessly and began pushing buttons and flicking levers Ichika couldn't see. Ichika was then guided into the helicopter's passenger hold and into a seat. Skunk gave a thumbs up to somebody Ichika couldn't see and closed the door to the helicopter before taking a seat opposite him.

She watched Ichika fiddle with the seatbelt mechanism with an unimpressed look. After a minute and the helicopter slowly rose into the sky, she sighed.

"Shoulder straps come together and click in with the waist."

Ichika nodded bashfully before successfully strapping himself in. "Thanks Ms. err Skunk."

Skunk grunted in a disinterred response before leaning back into her seat. She choose to distract herself by fiddling with the metal canisters that were strapped to her belt and torso, completely ignoring the boy.

Minutes turned to hours as the helicopter glided through the air and despite everything, Ichika couldn't help but feel excited at the turn of events. Even if it was pretty scary, in the end, he was thankfully saved by the good guys. However, as time passed and the excitement drained from his system, all that was left was exhaustion from the most climactic day of his young life.

Ichika Orimura fell into a deep sleep as he was taken to his new home, the United States of America.

* * *

**At The Warehouse**

"What are Americans doing here, where the hell is my brother?" A scowling Chifuyu Orimura demanded. She'd received intelligence from the Germans that her brother had been kidnapped and taken here by the terrorist organization Phantom Task. Without a single doubt in her mind, she'd forfeited her victory in the second Mondo Grosso and blazed a path to where her brother had been taken.

However, all she found upon arriving were American tier one operators and IS pilots milling about like they belonged here.

"Short black hair, brown eyes, a couple inches shorter than me, is he here!?"

"Calm down Orimura, we have no idea where this kid is. We had no intel on a hostage. Even if your brother was here, Phantom Task is long gone. Someone must have tipped them off, they barely slipped through our fingers," Angela sighed with faux irritation.

Chifuyu snapped her gaze to the blonde woman, studying her features before taking in her surroundings. Why was the warehouse's ceiling destroyed? Was there a struggle? But there were no bullet casings, no burn marks, and no blood at all. It didn't quite add up. And why was this American even telling her anything? American's were always so stingy with their secrets.

"You don't look like standard American forces or even special forces for that matter. Who are you people, your involvement here is in clear violation of the Alaska Treaty," Chifuyu growled, eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Come now Brunhilde, we're not here to pick a fight with any sovereign nation. Uncle Sam is willing to exhaust all of America's resources in the defence of freedom and democracy worldwide. You know as well as I do that we hate terrorists," Angela replied, placing a hand on her hip.

Chifuyu growled. Damned politics, damned terrorists, damned Americans. Where the hell was Ichika? "As bullshit you people are, I need to find my brother. But don't think I'll forget about you."

"How frightening, do you really have time to be taunting me though? Poor little Ichika Orimura could be being tortured as we speak," Angela scoffed.

Anger smoldered within her and Chifuyu resisted her lesser instincts to put the woman in her place. She took a shaky breath, then another one. And with a look that could freeze hell over, Chifuyu rocketed into the sky with her IS, easily shattering the sound barrier as she flew.

Angela gave a large sigh and tiredly ran a hand through her blonde hair as she watched the Brunhilde soar into the distance. But a smirk soon found itself on her features as ideas regarding the boy flew through her head.

"Alright, business is finished, all teams prepare to head out," Angela commanded through her radio. Her tiredness slowly disappeared as her mind wandered back to the boy who was now on his way stateside. This could actually make the history books. The boy could at least, she doubted she would ever be in any book.

She secretly hoped the higher ups wouldn't do anything too radical with the boy. He was admittedly a cute kid, might even be a heartbreaker when he grows up. The kid also seemed a bit naive, but in a kind of funny way. Just the type of guy her younger sister would be all over.

With a small laugh of amusement, she reactivated Bulldog, her personal IS and ascended into the now darkening sky. Two additional IS for Uncle Sam in of itself was a tremendous gain. The real victory however was the boy. To think, it was possible that a male could pilot an IS.

However she did feel an inkling of pity for the boy before promptly tossing it aside with a snort. She wasn't going to fool herself, the boy was essentially abducted twice today. But she supposed she wouldn't let it bother her. She did this sort of stuff all the time, she was a patriot after all.

* * *

Ichika slowly awoke, groggily wiping the sleepiness from his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the sun shining brightly through the lone window to his left. He idly deduced that he had slept through the entire night into next morning.

"Ah, so the little man finally awakes," the woman Ichika identified as skunk remarked, placing a metal canister at the apex of a little pyramid of similar canister she had built.

Suddenly Ichika remembered everything, how he had been kidnapped and was now probably in the United States. His childlike mind shrugged it off quickly however, immediately focusing on the present.

"What's that?" Ichika questioned, pointing at the metal canisters stacked precariously on the night table that was beside the bed he was laying in.

"Huh? It's a pyramid of course. It's actually the 28th I've made waiting for you to wake up. You're a real deep sleeper kid, I've never known anyone who could sleep through touchdown with how loud those rotor blades are," Skunk said with an annoyed scoff.

"Ah… sorry I guess. Also, I meant what are those metal thingies?" Ichika asked, pointing closer to an individual canister.

"Oh! So that's what you were asking, knew you wern't that stupid kiddo. See, these are my darling creations. Inside of each canister is a healthy dose of Dichlorodiethyl Sulfide cooked up by yours truly," Skunk preached, taking off the top most canister on the pyramid and presenting it to Ichika.

She sighed at Ichika's blank look. "I suppose you ignorants refer to the chemical agent as mustard gas. You know, the stuff that causes permanent eye damage, burns the skin, and makes breathing a big no no."

"Wanna see one?" She offered, holding the canister out in front of Ichika's face who immediately recoiled.

"Come on you big baby, it's not going to go off or anything… probably. Even if it somehow does, I always keep one of those state of the art gas masks with me. Though I suppose I only have one and if it came down to it, well... I'd be sorry for all it'd be worth. Besides, Dichlorodiethyl Sulfide isn't totally lethal. Trust me, if the organization let me keep my more lethal agents on me while stateside, I would."

Ichika looked at the outstretched hand holding the gas canister, then to the woman, the back to the canister. He needed an adult, a real adult.

"Stop scaring the kid you psycho," a voice spoke from the entrance of the room. It was the blonde woman who had saved him. Angela, Ichika recalled.

"I don't think you're qualified to call anyone a psycho Watchdog. Don't forget that I've been around longer than you, I still remember the stuff you did in your early career. Also, I'm not a psycho, I'm a chemist, there's very much a difference," Skunk retorted. The two women glared at each other like two apex predators eyeing each other up.

"Whatever, just put that crap away, I've got to talk to the kid," Angela said with a sigh.

Skunk grumbled a few unintelligible words under her breath before halfheartedly packing away the canisters into her belt and numerous other pouches.

Angela sighed and brought a chair to sit across from his bed before taking a seat in it. "First of all, I'm sorry for whatever this crazy woman said or did to you Ichika. Since we already know your name, it's only fair you know both of ours. Take it as a sign of trust."

"This nutcase is Emily Kӧnig, though you know her Skunk. We call her that because of the… abstract form of warfare she likes to employ. Truthfully though, it's because people always avoid her because of the gas she's always packing."

"That's not true at all! Don't listen to her Ichika, I simply choose not to mingle with the ignorants who are incapable of understanding me or my chemistry," the now named Emily stated defensively.

"Also, I didn't know we were just throwing names around, Angela Wyler," Emily added with a tisk.

"Come now, it's not like we really exist. We haven't in a very long time."

Emily shook her head. "Why do we even have aliases then?"

"It's tradition, you know that."

"Well you're not the one who was named after an animal known for shitting out gas!"

Angela shook her head in exasperation looking back to Ichika apologetically. "Whatever, just call me Angela and we'll get along swimmingly Ichika."

"O-Ok Ms. Angela."

Angela glared. "Drop the Ms."

"Yes Angela."

"Better."

"Get on with it and tell him what you're going to say," Emily huffed.

"And are you sure? I've got an idea what you're about to do…" Emily added quietly so that only Angela heard her.

The blonde nodded subtly to her companion.

"I'm sure you understand your precarious situation right Ichika?" Angela asked.

"Umm, I guess I saw you guys doing something secret and you don't want anybody finding out. So… I kind of have to be in America right now? I guess that means I won't be able to see Chifuyu-nee for a while," Ichika said quietly with a sad look.

Angela pursed her lips. "That's… basically right. But you skipped over a very crucial part. Remember back at the warehouse? You bumped into that IS and it glowed with light, it started up when you touched it."

"But that would mean…"

"You're the first and perhaps the only male who is capable of piloting the IS Ichika Orimura."

"No way…"

Angela leveled the boy with a serious look. "You have a few options going forwards young man. First, you can 'disappear' into a very special witness protection program indefinitely. I wouldn't recommend this however, you'd leave our care if that happened. There is a second option, one that took quite a bit of effort to iron out, but we've thought up of something satisfactory."

"What is it?" Ichika asked with wide eyes.

"Well, you'd come with us," Angela said, motioning to Emily, who had remained silent during the explanation, and herself. "Sign a couple papers, swear a few oaths, and you do what we do. You would become an American for all intents and purposes and you would be a part of an organization that fights for freedom and democracy around the world."

Emily raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'freedom and democracy'.

"Kind of like special forces, real cool guy military stuff. We aren't technically part of the U.S military, but we work in tandem with them. It's a warrior's lifestyle, you'd be like your sister in that sense," Angela continued.

Ichika's eyes lit up at the last part. Angela smiled, hook line and very much sinker.

"I'd like to do this," Ichika said determinedly.

"I'll warn you, I can't guarantee you will be the same person if you choose this way of life, probably forever. And if you fail to meet our expectations… you will immediately be sent to the special witness protection program."

Ichika's eyebrows scrunched up as he considered his future. He wanted to go home, he wanted to have dinner with Chifuyu-nee and laugh about the dumbest stuff. But he needed to fix the situation he was in by himself. His sister wouldn't always be there to help him, yesterday was testament to that.

He remembered asking his sister one time what a witness protection program was because he heard about it on t.v. She had told him it was like a prison in of itself and that she hoped he never had to go through anything like that.

Ichika didn't want that, he wanted freedom. If giving his all for these people who had been nothing but kind to him and their country, then he would do it. If America was his key to freedom, he would take it.

"I'll do it, I'll fight and become strong like my sister."

"I see, I suppose I should say welcome to the team then," Angela congratulated with a grin, giving Ichika a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Welcome to FOXHOUND."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: There is no plan to integrate aspects of the Metal Gear franchise despite using the name FOXHOUND. Sorry to disappoint anybody who was hoping for such.**

* * *

Ichika didn't have the slightest clue where in America he was right now. Heck, he didn't think he could name five states. Was Hawaii even a state?

Very soon after he had agreed to Angela's proposal, he had been hustled onto another helicopter. They had left around mid afternoon and by the time they had reached their destination it was morning again. As a result, Ichika felt queasy like when he'd walk for the first time after a long road trip.

Ichika took a peek inside the single duffle bag they had given him. Inside were several different pairs of military clothing, toiletries, and two pairs of boots. He idly wondered how they knew his sizes before shrugging. Military people just knew these kinds of things.

He zipped the duffle bag back up as the helicopter touched down to ground. He still didn't know where he was, probably on the Atlantic side of America?

Suddenly the door to the helicopter slid open, a woman with dark brown hair tied into a ponytail peeking inside.

"Grab your bag and get out Orimura."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Ichika sounded off with gusto. Military people were like this right?

The woman grunted. "For now you will refer to me as instructor, am I clear?"

"Yes instructor!"

"Good, then follow me. You're the last recruit of this cycle to arrive," the instructor stated, marching away at a brisk pace that Ichika struggled to keep up with.

Ichika's mind wandered slightly as he practically ran to keep up with the instructor as she strode through the military base. Was it going to be like the movies? He'd seen on t.v where a ton of guys lined up in rows as scary looking adults screamed at them.

The instructor led Ichika into a building and opened the door to what Ichika could only describe as a pseudo classroom. Desks were arranged in the center of the room facing a whiteboard. It felt despairing empty, only containing the bare necessities to sufficiently teach a group of students.

He felt seven gazes immediately snap to him. Seven girls, mostly around his age, were seated in the desks and were keenly scrutinizing him with varying reactions.

"Instructor, why is there a boy here?" Pointing to Ichika like he was a convicted felon.

"This boy is capable of piloting an IS, thus he will be training alongside you," the instructor replied, stone faced.

"But instru-"

"Silence, there is no time for idle chatter. Take a seat Orimura," the instructor intoned, gesturing to an empty desk which Ichika quickly took before setting his duffle bag to the side.

Taking a position in front of the whiteboard, the instructor crossed her arms. "As of now you are fresh recruits training to be FOXHOUND operators. You will be trained on how to destroy the enemy physically, mentally, and emotionally whilst piloting an IS. Further, you will be taught several disciplines that are standard to tier one operators."

The instructor received a round of serious nods from the girls and Ichika.

"However, the IS is first and foremost a weapon and weapons are wielded by warriors. Therefore you will first be instructed how to be a warrior before you are instructed how to be a pilot," she continued.

After a brief silence, the instructor continued her speech. "The organization that you will be training for is a highly secretive one. FOXHOUND gets dirty so that Uncle Sam stays clean, that's the mission and our solemn duty. You will now and forever be expected to abide by this creed. Do not break this expectation, am I understood?"

Ichika nervously gulped as he nodded resolutely alongside the seven other girls. To hold such a massive secret, and he thought middle school would be tough.

"Very good, training starts tomorrow morning. Today you will be given a tour of the base and all its facilities. You will also receive a handbook which will dictate how you eat, sleep, and how you will conduct yourself while I am the instructor. Am I understood?"

"Yes instructor!" Eight voices sounded off in tandem.

* * *

_First Day of Training_

* * *

Ichika tore into the meal he was provided like a rabid animal. It felt like there was a bottomless hole where his stomach should be after all the calories he'd burnt in the morning. However he suddenly remembered what it said in his assigned booklet about eating in a 'swift and efficient manner'.

He was certainly swift, but he supposed efficiency was thrown out the window when he was piling in more than he could chew at any given point. Taking a nervous glance around, he began to eat at a more sedate pace. He'd seen some of his fellow trainees punished for much less that morning.

Taking a seat across from him however was a blonde girl who didn't hold herself to the same standard, shovelling food in her mouth similar to how he was just doing. Some even fell onto the clean floor as she heaped more and more food into the bottomless pit of her stomach.

The boy couldn't blame the girl though. His sister had always encouraged him to go outside and get some proper exercise, but he was sure he'd never worked that hard in his life. He did scrape by though with some determination and perhaps a healthy dose of fear.

The morning had started with a bang, literally. Unfortunately for the poor boy, all of them shared a room with 4 pairs of bunk beds crammed inside. Was it four in the morning? Maybe it was three? Ichika couldn't remember, but he did remember that the instructor had tossed what looked like a grenade into the room. Instead of blowing up however, it produced an obscene amount of noise, making Ichika slam his head into the bunk above him in panic.

Then it was running, more running, and more running. What greeted the trainees after the seemingly endless run was an obstacle course. Those who did not pass did not get breakfast. For Ichika, that was plenty of motivation.

After the absurdly short breakfast, things went from terrible to soul crushing. More obstacles, more running, and the introduction of underwater survival training. This was the first day and he was pretty sure his lifespan had already decreased.

But what cemented this as maybe the hardest day in his life was the cold. Mornings were cold here and unfortunately for them, mother nature had deemed today to be suitable for chilly winds. Some fared better than others when it came to enduring the elements.

Ichika was unfortunately one of the 'others' as he had never experienced this kind of cold in his cushy life of artificial temperature.

Indeed, Ichika could fully understand why the girl across from him looked more like a cavewoman eating for the first time in days. She was short, a whole head shorter than him. He remembered she always seemed to lag behind on the runs and worse, failed to complete the obstacle course due to not being able to jump over certain obstacles. This was the first meal of the day for the girl.

However, that empathy very quickly turned to worry for the girl as he felt the instructor's hawkish gaze glued itself on the table the two were occupying. As expected, the instructor stalked up behind the girl opposite Ichika while giving him a withering glare. He understood the silent message to keep his mouth shut.

The instructor placed a menacing hand on the girl's shoulder, making her jump and look over her shoulder with wide eyes. "You've got some nerve Wyler, spilling your slop all over my chow hall. It seemed taking away your breakfast hasn't instilled enough discipline in you. I suppose I have to take away your lunch as well. A shame, you're going to need the calories later."

With a cruel hand, the instructor snatched the girl's food tray from the table and promptly dumped it in a nearby trash bin.

"As further punishment, you and Orimura are going to be cleaning my chow hall after dinner. It will be spotless or you will very much be dead. Take this as a lesson I suppose, your mess ups affect everybody around you."

Ichika's eyes widened in dismay, had he heard the instructor right? He opened his mouth to protest but a sideways glare from the woman made him regret opening his unworthy mouth to begin with. "Y-Yes instructor."

"As for you Orimura, I'd suggest you finish your meal quickly," the instructor said, checking her watch. "There's only five minutes left until I'll have you lot running laps again."

With that, the instructor stalked off, probably to scrutinize the other recruits. Ichika allowed a sigh of exhaustion between bites. She was like his old P.E teacher but one hundred times worse.

"Uh… sorry about that Orimura," the girl said with a nervous smile of guilt. With no food to gluttonize, she just awkwardly sat in place and twiddled her thumbs.

Ichika didn't bother replying as his mouth was stuffed with food. However he did extend his pity in the form of a peanut butter sandwich under the table. He put a finger to his lips in the universal gesture of silence and the girl nodded furiously.

The rest of lunch was spent with Ichika eating frantically while doing his best not to spill anything and his tablemate eating the sandwich in secretive bites while the instructor had her back turned to the two.

* * *

Ichika had lost feeling in his arms a few hours ago. He was like a robot as he stiffly mopped the floor with the blonde girl who had received the most scrutiny from the instructor that day out of the eight trainees.

After dinner, the two had obediently reported to the instructor who had only given them cleaning supplies and a stern "don't expect breakfast if there's even a spot of grime left."

Ichika honestly wanted to cry a little. But none of the girls had cried, so there was no way he would, he was the guy after all.

Sighing as he wet his mop again, Ichika noticed the girl was looking at him.

"Err- sorry again for roping you into this Orimura, my first name is Monika by the way. Wyler is my last name… but I guess you already knew that. If you want, you can call me Monika, but Wyler works too though."

Ichika swallowed, talking to girls wasn't really his forte. Though, he supposed he'd have to get used to it. "I-It's fine…Monika. My first name is Ichika, but you can call me whatever."

Monika nodded at this, her expression slightly brightening. "Sure Ichika. Did I pronounce it correctly?"

Ichika nodded in return. He blinked however, was it a coincidence or…?

"Your last name is Wyler right? Do you know someone named Angela? Sorry, it might be weird to ask, but a woman with the same last name is the one who brought me to FOXHOUND."

"You know my sister?" Monika remarked with surprise. "I guess you are a guy, a guy who can pilot an IS. I suppose it's a given that she would know all about you."

Ichika nodded. "Yeah, she kind of rescued me from a terrorist group and brought me to America."

Monika snorted. "That's some backstory as to why you joined."

"And what about you, did you want to follow in your sister's footsteps."

"Yeah, my sister's the strongest. She's always fighting for America and killing the bad guys. Big sis is like a role model, this was just the natural next step for me," Monika replied, a smile finding itself on her face.

"I have a big sister too, she's kind of the best. Though, she can't cook very well and she's not very good with house chores. But she's the best IS pilot in the world I think, she's super strong. We used to live together in Japan until… well until Phantom Task or whoever kidnapped me and Angela rescued me," Ichika said, homesickness welling up in his chest.

"Your sister sounds pretty cool, but mine is probably better. I bet my sister could beat yours up," Monika remarked matter of factly.

Ichika found enough energy within himself to scoff playfully. "No way, my sister is way better. She won the first Mondo Grosso and probably is way more stronger than Ms. Angela."

"You're just saying that because she's your sister. Mine is objectively better than yours," Monika retorted.

Ichika shook his head as he wet his mop again. However he was unable to keep down the small smile that snuck on his face. Maybe getting used to talking to girls wouldn't be so hard after all.

The two continued to chat and bicker through the night, mopping the chow hall's floors again and again, failing to realize that it was already spotless.

* * *

_Twelfth Day of Training_

* * *

Ichika's head rocked back as he was kicked in the face. Razor wire tickled the top of his head and the mud beneath him somehow kept getting in his mouth. The worst part however was the girl crawling through the mud directly ahead of him.

"Whoops, sorry about that Ichika," Monika said sheepishly, looking back apologetically.

"S-fine," Ichika grumbled, wiping his now bloody nose with his sleeve. His nose stung and tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Every inch of his body told him that he should sit up a bit, take a break, relax some. His rational brain craving survival beat these instincts down however. Rounds were being fired over their heads by the instructor who had conspicuously failed to confirm if they were live rounds or not.

He wasn't all that bothered by the blood that ran down his face. The coppery taste of his gross nose blood was somehow a welcome change to the taste of cold mud. He took the tiny pleasures he could in this horrible place.

He wondered what Chifuyu-nee was doing-

His head rocked back once again as Monika's boot slammed into his face. This time his jaw took the blow. "Monika, please. Can you PLEASE stop kicking me. It actually hurts you know."

"Sorry Ichika, but I'm really not trying to. Can't you not crawl so close behind me?"

Ichika sighed, trying his best to push his irritation down. "I can't, York's right behind me. But do you know something interesting? I'm not shoving my boot in York's face every five seconds!"

The girl behind Ichika, York, growled. "I can't slow down either, Finley is right on my tail too."

"Great, we're a human centipede," Monika groaned.

"You know, we might be able to space out if you could just move faster Wyler," York complained.

"Yeah, you gotta pick it up Wyler! Shaefer is literally smelling my butt right now," Finley, the girl behind York, called out.

Monika gave an offended scoff while Ichika snorted at the absurdity of it all. His previous lifestyle now felt very far away.

"Why the hell do I hear so much chatting down there, keep crawling like the worms you are. Any more senseless chattering and I'll get out the hose," the instructor commanded, reloading the machine gun she was using to fire rounds above their heads.

"Yes instructor," the recruits replied fearfully, resuming their slow trek through the cold mud like the worms they were.

* * *

_Twenty Fifth Day of Training_

* * *

Ichika gasped for air as his head finally broke the surface of the water. The ocean's relentless waves had violently pulled himself along with his other three boat crew members out of their small four man raft. Despite the life vest secured tightly to his chest, the Atlantic's ceaseless waves kept pounding down on him. Drowning was very much a real and scary possibility.

Monika suddenly surfaced beside him, violently coughing up water. Soon, Finley and a girl named Kane also surfaced in similar conditions. Ichika grabbed on to Monika's life vest and began thrashing his way towards the others so they wouldn't be separated.

The eight trainees were split into two different boat teams based on their height. The four consisting of himself, Monika, Finley, and Kane made up the shorter trainees while York, Summers, West, and Schaefer were the taller ones.

The instructor stood on the shoreline watching both boat teams get battered over and over. She held a pendant in her hand tightly. If a trainee was at serious risk of drowning, she would be ready to activate her personal IS.

Her owlish gaze stayed glued to the boat crews even as she felt someone approach from behind her.

"Afternoon Chiron, how's the new batch shaping up? Can't remember the last time we had this many trainees in one rotation."

"They're meeting my expectation for now," the instructor intoned. "Why have you come Skunk, you're usually cooped up in your lab when you're off mission."

"Straight to the point as always. Watchdog told me to check on the little man, see how his training's going. He was a civilian before all this you know."

The instructor nodded her head. "I know, I read his file. You can tell Watchdog that he's meeting the standards and perhaps exceeding them in some points."

Skunk raised an eyebrow. "High praise coming from the instructor herself."

"He looks out for the other trainees… he's a good kid."

"We'll see for how long, you know more than anyone how the organization changes people," Skunk said with a sigh.

The instructor shook her head. "No, I know his type. It's in their nature to prioritize others over themselves. That won't change but I do hope he doesn't break psychologically. It's the regular forces job to win hearts and minds, our job is solely to take everything from the enemy until there is nothing left."

Skunk mulled over the tidbit of information before shrugging. "And how's the mini Angela?"

"If you're referring to Watchdog's sister then she's adequate so far. If that is all, go report to Watchdog. My trainee's are still in the middle of an exercise."

"Always so brusque Chiron. I swear, I think I can count the number of times you've smiled on one hand. But anyways, I did have some guys drop off the gas you wanted in your storage complex. You should know that I made them extra potent since the bimbo's sister is in this cycle," Skunk chuckled cruelly.

With the last word, Skunk activated her IS, a sleek black model with four cannons mounted on its back meant for launching gas. She blasted off into the air and headed towards one of her isolated laboratories. She still had a couple of projects to work on.

The instructor sighed, refocusing her entire attention on her trainees. Emily Kӧnig was a eccentric one. When the two were trainees they were actually in the same cycle. The instructor had witnessed first hand how the organization had not only accepted but rewarded her comrade's eccentricities, especially her more sadistic ones.

* * *

_Thirty First Day of Training_

* * *

"Why in god's name are you so heavy York?" Monika groaned. The girl was trudging up a steep incline with York slung atop her shoulders in a standard fireman's carry.

"Huh!? It's not that I'm heavy Wyler, it's your stubby little legs," york bit back from atop Monika's shoulders.

"No, you're seriously fucking heavy York. I've been paired with everybody and even Ichika feels lighter than you."

York narrowed her eyes. "You know Wyler, my knee is awfully close to your face. Accidents may happen if you jostle me around too much."

"Try it and see what happens you idiot sasquatch. I'm not scared to dump you on the ground and have us both get punished," Monika retorted.

"What'd you just call me?" York hissed, beginning to squirm around, making Monika lose her balance.

Ichika sighed tiredly from a few meters behind the pair of bickering girls.

"What a surprise, they're going at it again," Kane muttered sarcastically from on top of Ichika's shoulders in a similar fireman's carry.

"I just hope Monika doesn't challenge York to another arm wrestling contest, she's going to embarrass herself again," Ichika muttered in reply so that only his partner atop his shoulders could hear him.

Kane tried and failed to suppress a giggle in response. "Yeah, Wyler was literally thrown out of her chair with how hard she lost. I don't think I'll ever forget her face at that moment."

Ichika however grimaced at the memory. It had taken a lot of time and patience to console his friend's ego that night. "I honestly don't know what Monika was thinking. York told me she was thirteen or something and I'm pretty sure Monika is younger than me. Oh, I'm eleven by the way."

"Eleven, guess we're the same age huh," Kane grunted. "By the way, Finley, Schaefer, and I were talking last night about how you should get Monika to stop fighting with York. Every time they fight the instructor gets mad and you know how that goes."

"Wait a minute, why is it me who has to do it? Shouldn't it be a girls talk or something?" Ichika remarked.

"Are you kidding, who else would actually get through to her? Everyone knows that you and Wyler are all buddy buddy, you even call each other by your first names."

"You know, you can call me Ichika if you want," Ichika remarked.

"Wha-psh, as if Orimura. Wyler would probably think I'm trying to steal you away from her or something," Kane chuckled, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

"Ok, ok. I'll see what I can do about Monika. Don't get your hopes up though, she's super stubborn even when I talk to her."

"You better. Trust me, it would make all of our lives easier if those two just stopped fighting," Kane sighed.

"..."

"..."

"For the record, I don't think you're heavy."

Kane giggled. "You're a good guy Ichika."

* * *

_Thirty Eighth Day of Training_

* * *

"Your weapon is clear at this time Orimura, you may step back," the instructor announced, scribbling a few things on her clipboard.

Ichika gulped, was the scribbling good or bad? "Y-Yes instructor."

On the rare days the eight trainees weren't swamped with constant exercises, they were partaking in more technical training. It would usually start in the classroom where they would all frantically try and put everything the instructor said on paper. Then they would endlessly apply whatever they learned in a practical setting.

Land and underwater navigation, dive physics, and in this case, they were practicing with an assortment of firearms. Some were pretty extreme in Ichika's opinion. He was surprised his shoulder hadn't been blown out by some of the bigger gun's recoil.

Ichika was a pretty good shot, the instructor had even said so once. However, out of all the recruits, nobody could match Monika, a fact that she often flaunted, mainly to York. When it came to putting lead on target, nobody could even come close to the sheer speed, accuracy, and efficiency that Monika boasted.

Even the instructor begrudgingly commended Monika's marksmanship before promptly yelling at the girl about proper gun safety protocol.

"You see how I did Ichika?" Monika beamed, practically skipping to the boy's side. "If those were people, their heads would have been blown clean off in an instant."

Ichika gave a restrained chuckle. "Yeah, you did really good Monika."

Monika beamed in response. "My sister taught me how to shoot when I was younger so it's pretty much a given I'd be the best at it. I can't wait until we get to shoot living targets."

Ichika nodded nervously. Of Course he knew it was coming. He gulped, an uncertain feeling coming over him. Would he freeze up when it actually happened? It was a scary feeling.

He shook his head vigorously to clear the thoughts. The instructor said it was a good thing to accomplish any given mission he had. She said that it was best to fight without any personal feelings or attachment to the enemy in order to make the most clear headed decisions in the midst of battle.

Not to mention his friends didn't seem all that bothered by the prospect of killing. If they didn't, he shouldn't. Indeed, he should be brave, or atleast put on a brave face. That's what his sister would have wanted. Chifuyu-nee? It'd been a while since he'd thought about her. There just hadn't really been the time to.

"Are you ok Orimura?" Kane asked, nudging his shoulder with a concerned look.

"Wha-? Oh yeah."

"You've been looking off into space for a while, the instructor said to go to the chow hall for lunch."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff," Ichika replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"No time for that, you know how strict the instructor is, even during lunch," Kane chided.

"I know. Let's go, I'm starving," Ichika relented.

The two set off for the chow hall. Ichika pushed all his uncertainties to the back of his mind. He hoped the instructor gave them another lesson on not only how but why destroying the enemy was a good thing. He needed it.

* * *

_Sixty Fourth Day of Training_

* * *

Ichika grunted as he stubbed his foot on a protruding tree root. The rucksack on his back felt more like a boulder, how long had they been in this giant forest?

The instructor had flown the eight out into the middle of a mountain range rich with dense pine trees that were terribly hard to navigate through.

To his right, as expected, was Monika who was hunched over with a deep grimace, the rucksack on her shoulders crushing the poor girl. To his left was Kane and a girl Ichika didn't know too well. Westmyer was her name, everyone just called her West though, Westmyer just wasn't as cool.

Kane was staring at a map with a triangle protractor. She occasionally rotated the protractor in hopes the map would start making sense.

West for her part was switching her gaze from Kane's map to a small compass she held in her hand.

"Umm, if we just passed that ridge, and we're heading east… we should be about here," West stated, pointing at a general area on the map.

"Are you sure? If we're there, shouldn't that mountain's peak be facing towards us?" Kane questioned, pointing at an adjacent mountain that looked slightly like a thumb.

West looked at the mountain, then to her compass, then back to the map. "Uh, I have no clue."

Ichika wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed. West and Kane were looking back and forth from their surrounding and the map. It looked like neither had a clue where they were going. He looked to his right just in time to see Monika faceplant. Guess the weight was finally too much for her.

Man, he just wanted to get out of these woods and eat whatever they were having for dinner. The other girls seemed to hate the food, always complaining about how terrible it was. Ichika didn't mind it though, it tasted about as good as Chifuyu-nee's cooking. What he could remember of it at least.


	3. Chapter 3

Ichika's body rocked at the slight bit of turbulence. "How high do you think we are?"

"Dunno, I'd say about twenty thousand feet," Finley, who sat to his left, guessed.

The eight trainees were flying well above the clouds in a plane that the instructor was currently piloting. All eight wore breathers connected to an oxygen bottle meant to flush out nitrogen and thus preventing decompression sickness.

Ichika turned to his right where Monika was squirming in her seat. "You nervous?"

Monika nodded her head hesitantly. "Well, maybe a little bit. But my sister used to say that hesitation leads to disaster. When the time comes, there won't be any other choice than to jump."

"I like that saying, I'll have to remember it," Ichika remarked, trying to banish the nervousness from his own system.

"Hey, if we're jumping out of planes, do you think we'll get an IS soon?" Ichika asked, switching topics.

Monika's eyes gleamed. "I sure hope so, it's gonna be so cool when we get to be pilots. Why are we even practicing this kind of stuff if we have an IS though?"

"The instructor said that on some missions we shouldn't use the IS for secrecy purposes. Even partial deployment of our IS is risky and should only be used as a last resort," Ichika recited.

"Pshh, stupid Alaska treaty. The IS are weapons used by soldiers, not some worthless sport like those IS Academy fools," Monika spat with a glower.

Ichika gave a grunt of agreement. The IS were not toys, they were weapons of mass destruction and should be respected as such. The instructor had said so and the instructor was never wrong. Even if the instructor was demanding and sometimes cruel, she was just preparing them for the cruel and demanding world. The instructor was never wrong.

"Line up for the jump, the door is opening in thirty seconds," the instructor's voice intoned over the intercom.

The eight recruits hurriedly obeyed the instructor's command, scrambling into a loose line. They watched as the side door slid open to reveal the open sky, peeking over one another at the clouds that faced them below with baited breath.

All was silent for a few seconds and a few reassuring nods were passed around the trainees.

"Jump."

York was the first to go, hurriedly walking to the edge and jumping out into the open air. Kane followed immediately after and Summers soon followed.

Monika turned to Ichika, giving a nervous thumbs up before throwing herself out of the plane as well.

"Hesitation leads to disaster," Ichika muttered to himself. He sucked in a deep breath and banished any and all emotions welling inside himself before diving out of the doorway imagining he was diving into the training pool the trainees used back home.

Time slowed as he felt the wind whip around his falling form. His eyes darted around. Seeing his friends in the distance gave him a sense of reassurance. However the further he plummeted, the more the discomforts began to fade. The weightless feeling in his gut, the whipping of wind, the vast blue sky, he supposed it felt sort of liberating

In the end, Ichika quite enjoyed the exercise.

* * *

"Focus Orimura, panic will only make it worse."

Ichika nodded rapidly.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" The instructor asked.

"F- *hack* fou- *hack* four instructor," Ichika gasped, rapidly blinking the tears from his eyes.

"Good, now tell me a joke and you're out of here."

A joke. What joke? When was the last time he'd told a joke? Ichika wheezed as he desperately racked his brain for something, anything. The immense strain on his system mounted to an all new height.

"The… *hack* th- *hack* the IS academy," Ichika choked, smirking at his own wit despite the great discomfort worming itself through his entire body.

The instructor's lip twitched ever so slightly.

"Clever, you're clear Orimura," the instructor snorted.

Ichika hastily shuffled his way out the door, barely managing to close it behind him before collapsing to his knees in the grass outside. Violent coughs racked his system as he tried to get at least one fresh breath of air.

Kane was next to him, also on her hands and knees, dry heaving. Summers, a brunette girl Ichika didn't interact with often, was crouching a few meters in front of him. She was staring blankly at the ground, mucus still dripping from her nose and mouth in long strands.

Ichika spit a glob of his own mucus onto the ground as a few minutes passed and his coughing began to subside. He remained on his hands and knees, trying and failing to subdue the rising nausea within him. However he turned his head when he heard a door open and footsteps behind him.

Monika was standing behind him, tears pouring from her eyes and snot running down her face. Ichika didn't trust his voice so the two merely stared blankly at each other for a few seconds.

Monika cringed, her hand flying to her mouth. She bent over dry heaved once before violently vomiting directly on top of Ichika's back. Ichika immediately flinched, eyes widening at the revolting smell that assaulted his nostrils. It was far too disgusting for the boy to handle and he too emptied the contents of his stomach onto the grass below him.

He could hear a mix of painful wheezes and choked laughter coming from where Kane and Summers were still hunched over.

This was terrible, not even getting sucked under by harsh Atlantic waves and getting a lung full of salt water could top this. 'Gas proofing' the instructor had called it was officially, the worst.

* * *

_First Operation_

* * *

"This is more of a pseudo operation to get your boots wet before you become fully fledged operators. Take it seriously, pseudo operation or not, a well placed bullet can and will kill you," the instructor informed the eight trainees who were standing at attention. "This operation is a right of passage for trainees like you and will decide if you are eligible for pilot training."

This sparked excitement in Ichika and the seven girls. However they remained perfectly still at attention, discipline had been more than instilled in them by the instructor,

"It's a simple operation. You eight will be deployed to one of FOXHOUND's forwards bases in Southern Africa. You will launch an assault on a small and newly formed group of guerilla fighters that we have been monitoring."

The instructor paced in front of the trainees. "They are a threat to the local government that the U.S supports. Your target is an area we have identified they use for training new members for their cause. You will strike with speed and force and are to retreat before they launch a proper counter offensive. Your work will lay a foundation for other FOXHOUND elements to move in and annihilate the rest of them. Do you all understand the operation?"

"Yes instructor," eight voices replied.

"Very well, I'm assigning York to be stand in captain and will give her a further briefing later. You will be deployed in two days time. Until then, you are free to prepare as you see fit," the instructor informed.

* * *

_**The Next Day**_

The eight were huddled around one of the tables in the chow hall. Maps and pictures of the surrounding area were haphazardly spread across its surface.

"Remember, our objective is not total annihilation, their numbers are too much for the eight of us. As the instructor told us earlier, there will be additional forces shadowing us. When we complete our part of the operation they will begin theirs. We're pretty much the sucker punch in this fight," York briefed, looking around at her seven companions.

After a round of nods, York continued. "There's reliable intelligence that the group's leader along with the new members will gather in one particular location outside their camp around thirteen hundred hours. Whether it's some sort of religious thing or tradition, it doesn't matter. I've decided that is the best time to strike."

"Why don't we attack at night when they're all asleep?" West asked.

"Believe it or not, they're more alert at night, it's when they expect to get attacked," York stated.

"As you can see, their camp is beside these two mountain's ridgeline," York informed, pointing to said mountains on the map. "The plan is to split into two teams. Alpha team, or team A, consisting of myself, Wyler, Orimura, and Schaefer will scale the ridgeline overlooking the location they will be meeting at. I'm positive their first instinct will be to retreat back to their camp once team A has attacked."

York pointed to a point on the map. "Bravo team, or team B, will consist of everyone else and similarly scale the ridgeline but sit in the saddle. You will have overwatch on the retreating guerilla fighters alongside their camp. Try and corral them into their camp and then switch to incendiary rounds. They're a newly formed resistance group so their camp is cheap. A cheap camp is a very flammable camp, burning it down should cause enough chaos to cover our retreat."

"Wait wait wait, we have incendiary rounds?" Kane asked.

"The instructor said we'll have full access to the forward operating base we're being deployed to," York answered with a nod. "Anyways, after we have completed our objectives, team B will rendezvous with team A. Once we've regrouped we'll make a joint retreat and start another fire to cover us just in case. It's a dense jungle so why not make use of it?"

York looked around to her fellow trainees. "Listen, I know you guys are nervous and uneasy about going out and actually killing some people for the first time. Remember what the instructor has taught us, this is the enemy, there is no other option than to destroy them. Keep a level head and trust in yourself alongside your sisters… and Orimura."

* * *

Ichika grunted as he hefted his things over his shoulder and disembarked from the aircraft. All eight of them were equipped with full tactical gear since while the base had plentiful weapons and ammunition, lacked the protective gear that would fit their smaller and less developed physiques.

Ichika grimaced at the hot sun before he noticed a familiar woman standing on the airstrip.

"Emily? What are you doing here?" Ichika asked. "Wait nevermind, you're here to help us right?"

"It's Skunk while you're deployed kiddo, though I suppose it's ok since you're not technically operating yet. I'm the lucky one the organization sent to clean up the mess you brats are about to make," Skunk replied.

"They only sent you?" Ichika questioned.

"Yeah, this one's off the books so I get to use my IS, Pacifier Prime. It'll be more of a slaughter than an actual sortie though," Skunk sighed, showing Ichika her IS in the form of a black bracelet. "At least they'll be good test subjects for some of my newer chemical agents."

"Anyways, enough about me little man. It looks like you've grown a bit since I last saw you. How long has it been since you started training, a year? Look at you now, all geared up for battle, it's pretty cute actually," Emily teased. "Excited to finally get some action?"

"Yeah, we all are. To be honest with you though, I'm nervous about you know…"

"Killing?"

"Yeah."

"What about it?"

Ichika hesitated. "I mean, taking someone's life, that's a lot. What if I freeze up? What if I get my friends killed because I'm a coward?"

Emily snorted and ruffled Ichika's hair. "Psh, don't sweat it kiddo. Killing's honestly the best part. Your first kill is a literal once in a lifetime experience."

Emily sighed at the uncertain hum she got in response. "Listen, you're a good kid, I get it. But good people do bad things all the time, that's just how the world works. Everyone's got a role in life no matter if it's good or bad and ours is to kill our enemies. An eagle shouldn't feel bad about killing its prey because without the prey, the predator is nothing. So why should you feel bad about killing some nobodies fulfilling their role as your prey. You're just doing what you're supposed to do right?"

"I guess that makes sense…"

"And if you're still uncertain about it at the moment of truth, just think about your comrades. In a roundabout way, you're doing it for them just as they're doing it for you."

Ichika nodded at this. "Hey Em- Skunk?"

The woman cocked her head to the side.

"Err- thanks, I'll remember what you said," Ichika said with a grateful smile.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just doing my job and I know you'll do yours when the time comes," Emily affirmed with a nod.

The moment was soon shattered as York approached them. "I didn't know you knew the operator that would shadow us Orimura."

"Oh- uh, Skunk this is York, she's the captain of the team. York this is Skunk, I met her by circumstance before joining the organization," Ichika said, introducing the two. Skunk gave York a once over before shrugging.

"As much as I'd love to meet your mini girl scout platoon, I've got to bounce. Hell, I'm not even supposed to be here. Anyways, good luck and don't die," Emily said with a snort, activating her IS.

Ichika had to shield his eyes from the dust kicked up by Skunk's IS taking off. He barely saw the sleek form of her IS before she was just a speck in the sky.

"I guess FOXHOUND has tighter control on this area than I thought if an operator can just fly off in their IS," York remarked. "That woman though. No offense because she's your friend, but don't you think she was kind of rude?"

"Yeah, I guess. But she's a good person at heart though… maybe," Ichika replied.

"Anyways, we should settle in and organize our equipment. The operation begins tomorrow and I'm stupid hungry after that terribly long flight," York stated, brushing past her male comerade.

"Yes captain," Ichika said cheekily.

York snorted. "I know I'm the stand in captain and all that, but just call me York like you've always done you bastard."

"Ok, ok, I get it. But seriously, I think you're doing a really good job," Ichika remarked.

"Err- thanks. I mean, I'm the oldest out of all of us right? Someone has to step up after all," York said with a hint of bashfulness.

The two continued into the base in a comfortable silence. Surprisingly, the small base was in pretty good condition considering how old it was. For once, Ichika had the luxury of his own room to sleep in. The gender awkwardness had smoothed itself out over time, but sometimes his bunkmates were the bane of his existence.

Monika was probably his best friend and he really did like her, but her snoring sounded like a chainsaw on the best of nights. It didn't help that she slept directly above him.

As if magically summoned from Ichika's thoughts, Monika came running down the hall with Finley and West close behind.

"Ichika, he Ichika! Come quick, West found Monopoly in one of the rooms. Let's all play together!" Monika babbled, holding out a box that had the word MONOPOLY brazenly printed on the side with big blocky letters.

"I'm only in if I can be the shoe piece," Finley stated.

"Eww, why would you want to be the shoe? The battleship is way cooler."

"You guys are both dumb, the dog is by far the best one."

Monika scowled, turning to Ichika. "Back me up Ichika, tell these idiots that the battleship is the coolest by far."

Ichika struggled to recall the one and only time he had played Monopoly. His sister had utterly trounced him as the car. What did he play again? Oh, right, the thimble.

"I actually like the thimble, it kind of looks like an upside down trash can," Ichika remarked with a straight face.

All three girls looked at him like he'd just grown a second head.

York just sighed. "I'm gonna find something to eat and look over the intelligence again Orimura. Come find me when you're done and we'll get the machine guns ready."

"Oh yeah, It's Monopoly time!" Monika cheered, bumping her fist in the air in excitement.

Ichika smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Alright, let's play."

The stress that had slowly been building up within Ichika subsided as Monika dragged him through the base's halls with the other girls. They really were like a family to him. When the time came, if nothing else, Ichika decided he'd pull the trigger for them.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Ichika's breathing was carefully measured in long heaves. The mountain was a tough climb and the elevation was beginning to make the air thinner. Not to mention he and York were each carrying a light machine gun plus ammunition which weighed a substantial amount.

Idle chatter had long since fizzled out as the four consisting of Alpha Team stoically marched to their objective. Each had mentally steeled themselves the previous night for their first official operation.

The group of four halted in their tracks as York signalled them to stop. The team leader pushed a few stray strands of dirty blonde hair out of her face before unfurling a map.

After a few moments, York nodded to herself in satisfaction and packed the map back into her assault pack. She pulled out a small portable radio. "Kane, we have arrived to overwatch one, have you reached overwatch two? Over"

A few seconds passed. "Negative, I'd estimate another five minutes until we reach overwatch two, over."

York nodded to herself once more before signalling her three companions to start digging in. As they did, she took stock of her teammates' emotional states.

Orimura was obviously winded, similar to her. The light machine guns were necessary to lay down suppressive fire but damn did they weigh a whole lot. York only trusted herself, who was the oldest in the group, alongside Ichika, who was a guy, to be capable of hauling the bigger guns up the mountain.

Other than that, Orimura seemed stoic. However York noticed his eyes bouncing around, looking for enemies, at a frantic rate. At least he was channelling his nerves into something productive. She didn't worry too much, Orimura was a reliable guy, he probably wouldn't break under the pressure.

York then looked to Schaefer, a German girl with black hair neatly tied into a ponytail. She was the one carrying the fire bombs they would be using to cover their tracks. Similar to Ichika, York saw the girl was putting on a stoic face. However the calming breaths she was taking every few seconds gave away her nerves. That was normal though. To York's relief, the girl seemed fine so far.

York's gaze finally laid on the third girl. Monika Wyler seemed in a trance like state, like a blissful calm before the storm. Her eyes didn't betray any apprehension and instead shone with intense focus. However York could just barely see it. She could see the gleam of cruel anticipation in the younger girl's sapphire eyes.

York had seen eyes like those in sociopathic killers a long time ago, a time before FOXHOUND had taken her in. Despite everything though, she knew Wyler was a friend, she wouldn't do anything too stupid. And Orimura was here, he'd keep Wyler in check should the worst happen.

She checked her watch, it read 12:29. Shit, did she forget to switch her watch to military time? Whatever, converting it was easy enough. She got the attention of the others and signalled thirty minutes until the guerilla meeting.

Ichika nodded before going into a prone position and aimed his crosshair towards the small clearing that the guerillas would be gathering in. He let his body rest as seconds turned to minutes. His underdeveloped body wasn't meant to climb several thousand vertical feet while carrying a machine gun.

However as he let his body rest, his mind began to wander.

He was a naturally friendly guy, at least that's what he'd been told by others. It was a trait that had helped him earn the unconditional friendship of all seven girls who had somehow become his greatest friends in the span of a single year. Bonding through adversity, or something like that probably.

He doubted he'd be able to form bonds like these if he'd gone to middle school like he was supposed to. About this time of year, he bet he'd be getting a fresh school uniform for the start of his second year of middle school.

Look at him now, in a bulletproof vest, wearing a kevlar helmet, and thinking of the most efficient way to kill a man rather than finding whatever variable on whatever triangle.

What would Chifuyu-nee think of him?

He was distrubed from his thoughts however as he felt someone nudge him in the shoulder. Looking to his right, Ichika noticed Monika who was also in a prone position and giving him a reassuring thumbs up.

Monika gave Ichika a wide grin before holding her hand in a clenched fist out to Ichika.

The boy looked dumbly at the gesture for a few seconds before realizing what his friend was doing. Smiling in embarrassment, Ichika bumped the outstretched fist with his own.

He understood Monika's silent message. It was do or die, good luck.

The four children just budding into their teenage years lay in relative silence as time slothfully passed. However they began hawkishly staring down their sights as people began to populate the clearing below them.

Ichika's eyes narrowed. A dozen or so men, thrice as many kids, all boys. The men had guns, the boys did not. Some wore patches or buttons proudly across there tattered apparel. Perhaps it signified some sort of rank? Everyone wore what they could, no two outfits being exactly the same. It was a mess in Ichika's eyes who had worn the exact same things as his friends for the past year.

What caught his attention however was one man who seemed to command everybody's attention. A green beret decorated with two golden stars lay squarely on top of his head, the ringleader perhaps? The man was shouting something in Zulu, or was it Afrikaans? Ichika would never know.

The children rose to their feet in tandem. Ichika glanced over to York who shook her head. They began chanting something in their language, moving to the beat of their own voices. Some of the men joined in, waving their weapons in the air and banging their chests. It was almost enchanting to Ichika who witnessed this all through the sight of his firearm.

Ichika and Schaefer's eyes narrowed in concentration. Monika licked her lips.

"On my mark," York said quietly.

"Roger," three voices replied, Ichika's barely above a whisper.

"Three."

Ichika flicked his gun's safety off and rested his finger on the trigger, careful not to squeeze too hard. His heart rate raced a million miles per hour as he began to pick out the targets. The men were enemies. The boys were smaller enemies. They were America's enemies. They were his friends' enemies. They were Ichika's enemies.

"Two."

He wondered if the boys were like him. Were they taken away from their families and raised to be killers? He wondered if any of those boys down there had killed people, unlike him. Maybe they would all die to his bullets. Maybe he would die to theirs. He felt as if his whole life had been leading to this point. There was no turning back, he would never turn back from this point onwards.

*Inhale*

*Exhale*

"One."

Good people did bad things all the time.

"Mark."

Ichika closed his heart to his enemies and with the greatest care, gently pulled down the trigger.

One emotioned radiated within his chest as he began to smile, great relief.


	4. Chapter 4

Ichika wandered the halls of the forward base, hands in his pockets and gaze facing downwards.

It was a good thing. What they'd done was a great thing. He was doing his job by killing them and they were doing their job by dying. It was a good thing they were dead. It was a good thing he had killed them.

But man, why couldn't he just forget about it then? The blood, the screaming, the chaos. What if it was Monika? What if it was one of his friends?

No, no, he was putting faces on the faceless. They were nobodies who he had to kill. It was the right thing to kill them. He was happy he killed them. The instructor would be proud, Angela would be proud, Emily even told him herself that she was proud. What would his sister think?

He was disturbed from his thoughts however as the door to his right opened and York stepped into the hallway.

"Oh, hey Orimura. Good job out there by the way. Those machine guns were so heavy, I thought my arms were going to fall off," York remarked, rotating her right arm which was still aching.

"Yeah, everyone did really good. Shame Summers got hurt by that shrapnel though," Ichika replied.

"Bastard, it was a lucky shot while Summers wasn't looking. At Least it wasn't too bad, with some stitches and time it'll heal just fine."

Ichika nodded. Summers was the best out of all of them when it came to first aid and medicine. It was incredibly unlucky that she was the one who ended up getting injured. Thankfully though, nobody was hurt enough to require medical attention.

"Hey, but are you ok Ichika?" York asked, her friend seemed down in the dumps. She honestly couldn't blame him though, quite a few of the girls were in similar states.

"I guess. Well, I dunno. I know what we did was good. But why do I still feel bad?"

York pursed her lips. "If you really do feel genuinely bad… well I don't really know what to say. I guess you'll just have to get used to it. I do know one thing though, you're a strong guy Orimura and when someone is at their lowest, it takes a strong person to persevere, to be true to themselves."

Ichika met York's gaze with a small and grateful smile. "That's pretty wise. I'll try to stay strong."

"It's nothing, they're not even mine. It was my dad who said that to me. Maybe I'll tell you about it later. Either way, I'll see you around," York said, turning her back to him and walking down the hall.

Ichika watched his friend turn the corner before beginning to wander through the halls again. Doubt and anxiety still plagued his mind. Memories still weighed heavily on his mind. But he supposed he had to keep going despite that. His friends were, he should as well.

The boy decided that he needed to find something to do, something to keep him busy so that time could pass easier. All of his friends had busied themselves with something. York was keeping busy with the logistics and reviewing their operation. Finley and West could be heard playing ping pong in the armoury. Summers was recovering in bed with Kane watching over her, they were probably chatting. Monika had opted to use the base's only television to watch American football.

He ended up wandering into the kitchens, seeing Schaefer who was scouring the cabinets.

"What are you doing Schaefer, dinner isn't until a while you know," Ichika called out.

Schaefer checked her watch. "Hm, guess it isn't. I dunno, I just felt like cooking I guess."

"That's cool I guess, I didn't know you knew how to cook."

"Yeah, my mom taught me a whole lot of things when I was a little girl. My dad's from Switzerland but my mom is a really ethnic German. She always said stuff about never forgetting my cultural roots, so she taught me all sorts of German stuff, especially cooking German food," Schaefer replied, inspecting some potatoes.

Silence overtook the kitchen space as Schaefer busied herself with preparing ingredients while Ichika watched awkwardly.

"Well… do you need any help?" Ichika asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

The girl looked at Ichika with a raised eyebrow. "You want to cook?"

"I um, I don't really know how to. Would you… teach me?"

"Hm, I wouldn't mind. I only really know how to make German dishes and a few Austrian ones though," Schaefer admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "Just wondering however, why the sudden interest in cooking?"

Ichika shrugged. "It seems kind of fun and useful at the same time I guess. Also, I could use the distraction to be honest."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Schaefer offered.

"Not really, sorry," Ichika declined.

"You know what? That's totally fine Orimura, I don't really want to talk about the operation either, what's done is done. So let's both just forget about it and make some good old German cuisine shall we?"

Ichika smiled a bit at the girl's reply and before he knew it, he was peeling potatoes over a trash bin. The two exchanged some small talk as they worked, Ichika doing the easier tasks while Schaefer took over for the harder tasks.

In the end, they cooked up quite a bit of food. Well, Schaefer did most of the cooking while Ichika hung back and listened to the older girl lecture him about the correct procedure. Ichika idly wondered if the other girls would be fine with an early dinner.

* * *

_First Day of IS Training_

* * *

It had taken a few days, an exchange of thoughts with his new kitchen buddy, and a cathartic heart to heart talk with Monika to shake Ichika out of his funk. Unpleasant memories found themselves shoved deep into the corner of his brain and buried under excuses and hard rationalization.

Soon after the successful operation, the eight were flown back to the training base. The instructor seemed to have a soft spot after all and gave them an entire day off when they returned.

Now, the eight trainees were lined up in front of the instructor who had led them to one of the base's storage facilities.

"You all performed adequately. True to my word, the eight of you are to begin your IS training starting today. Be thankful to Uncle Sam who has generously given us eight new third generation IS," the instructor stated.

"Yes instructor."

The instructor nodded in satisfaction before allowing the recruits to find the IS they were tasked to pilot for the foreseeable future. It was like watching a group of kids going into a theme park for the first time.

Ichika reverently approached the primarily brown IS with grey lines painted across some of its armour plating. This was a weapon that transcended modern warfare, this was going to be his partner probably unto death. If Ichika had to sum up his IS at first glance it would be bulky yet compact. It looked like a stocky metal bird, like an owl in fact. The long and sharp metal plates that surrounded the IS looked like enclosed wings and gave off quite an intimidating look.

"These IS came straight out of the research department, you eight will be their first ever pilots. The organization has authorized you to name your personal IS. As your instructor however, I urge you to be professional when naming it," the instructor intoned from behind the boy.

Ichika laid a hand upon its cold metal surface. It obviously resembled some species of owl probably native to America.

"Fukurō," Ichika breathed, watching as a soft light emitted from the IS, accepting the silent contract between man and machine.

As the instructor had taught, Ichika minimized Fukurō into its closed form which took the form of a simple silver ring. With careful hands, he slipped the ring on his right index finger.

"Ichika! Hey Ichika!" Monika shouted as she ran over to the boy's side. Ichika noticed the new necklace she wore, he assumed that was her IS in its closed form.

"Is that ring your IS? Wait, don't tell me, just let me see it," Monika practically demanded.

With an exasperated look, Ichika activated Fukurō into its default setting. The IS's frame materialized itself around Ichika's body along with twelve long serrated armour plates that hovered around his shoulders like enclosed wings. Ichika supposed they kind of looked like giant floating machetes.

Multiple huds flashed around Ichika's peripherals, displaying Fukurō's status and more importantly, the shield gauge.

"Access, system start," a mechanical voice intoned as Ichika made a few test test movements in the IS. It was actually a lot more comfortable than it looked.

"Holy… your IS is so cool Ichika. It's pretty big too. At least, it looks big with those floating armour plates," Monika remarked with wide eyes. "I bet you named it 'owl', it looks just like one."

"I actually named it Fukurō," looking down on his now much smaller friend.

"That's uhh… Japanese right?"

"It's the translation for owl, so you were basically right on the mark," Ichika affirmed. He played with the controls some and was pleased when he discovered that he could move the floating armour plates or 'flying machetes' with some concentration.

"Man, that's such a sweet IS, totally badass," Monika praised with a double thumbs up.

The instructor nodded. "Indeed, it's quite a spectacular model. Those serrated armour plates that look like an owl's folded up wings are capable of emitting a sound suppression field once you go into first shift. Your IS may very well be the only in existence practically capable of completely silent flying. Quite handy for stealth operations you may face in the future."

Ichika's eyes widened in disbelief. Fukurō was incredible. He silently thanked the universe for giving him this opportunity.

"What do you think of mine?" Monika asked, activating her own IS.

In comparison, Monika's IS was slightly shorter and far less stocky. It was coloured a lighter shade of brown than Fukurō with a full black torso piece. She folded down four-tube goggles which looked similar to the night vision goggles they had trained with. However these goggles looked far more advanced as the lenses glimmered in a murky red glow.

"Look Ichika, I have a special ability too! With this IS and these sweet goggles, I can see right through your clothes!" Monika exclaimed, pointing at the boy.

"Wha- turn them off Monika! That's weird," Ichika protested, trying to cover himself with his arms.

"Pfft, I'm just kidding you dummy. I wish I took a picture of your face right there, it was totally priceless!" Monika giggled. "I named this baby Vestige, pretty cool huh?"

"A fitting name Wyler. Wipe that stupid look off your face Orimura, Wyler can't actually see through your clothes. Those goggles do however possess the capability of night vision, infrared detection, and the ability to see what the eyes can't using sonic pulses emitted from the IS as a sort of sonar. The egg heads also crammed as many tracking capabilities into the IS as possible. It's a very specialized unit," the instructor explained with a shake of her head.

"Now go start learning how to actually use those things, don't forget what I taught you. I have to go talk with the other recruits about their own IS."

The two nodded their heads. "Yes instructor."

After all those hours in the classroom, after all that studying, they would finally be able to actually do it. They were finally pilots.

Ichika initiated his IS's gravity control and began hovering out of the facility, Monika close behind him. Ichika could feel the passive inertia control of the IS activate in earnest as he began to soar upwards.

"Damn," Monika muttered, wrestling with her IS's controls. She still was getting used to being connected to her IS's hyper sensor which enhanced her five senses. She couldn't quite keep up with Ichika who was already rocketing around like a maniac.

Even if Ichika was a natural, Monika was a quick learner and soon she was flying tentatively to Ichika's right.

"Hey Monika, how about we take it to the next level? I'm going to go first shift. You don't have to if you don't want to, you'll just be a chicken then," Ichika taunted as they flew side by side.

"Awfully confident huh? Is it because of the IS? Whatever, I'll show you who's a chicken," Monika retorted, activating her IS's first shift. Immediately her IS looked sleeker, the armour plating becoming slightly sharper.

Monika looked at the new huds that flashed in front of her. She smirked as she noticed that she could materialize a high precision sniper rifle instead of the simple marksman rifle she was limited to in her default setting form.

Soon after, Ichika's IS similarly shifted. Similar to Monika's IS Vestige, the armour plates making up his 'wings' became longer and more pronounced. Fukurō displayed via hud that he could materialize gauntlets that had double barreled light machine guns attached to the bottom side and hook shaped blades on top. It seemed his IS was naturally pushing him to fight close quarters.

Ichika smiled and laughed in genuine excitement. Despite the instructor's best efforts to discipline them, he was still a twelve year old boy in a literal mech suit. He gave a whoop and a holler as he flipped and twisted through the air in his IS. Maybe things were starting to look up for him.

* * *

**One Year Later**

"W-Wait don't do this," a disheveled Arabian man pleaded as Kane forced him in a kneeling position.

York kneeled in front of the man and narrowed her eyes. "You know this road is closed right? We were quite sure the locals were aware of that. So tell me, why in god's name are you here?"

"N-No you don't understand! You're Americans right? I'm a doctor and my niece is very sick in the next town over. T-This is the only road connecting our villages. Please Americans, I have to bring medicine to my niece!" The man pleaded.

Monika pursed her lips before shaking her head. "I don't buy it, this haji's a god damn liar."

"What makes you so sure?" Ichika asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"Instinct."

"Hold on, even if this guy's a terrorist, wouldn't killing him expose our presence here to his friends? Wouldn't our best chances lay with letting him go? He says he's a doctor, you know how rare those are out here," Summers stated.

"I don't think so, terrorists aren't that smart. We should kill him now and bury him six feet under," Monika growled, pulling out her M18 pistol from its holster.

"Fuck, all I'm saying is we shouldn't underestimate them. I'm just trying to look a few steps ahead here," Summers retorted with furrowed brows.

"No, I think you're overestimating them. There's no point in playing off chance, we should be decisive here. He's a terrorist and we should kill him. Easy, quik, and simple," Monika argued.

"Girls, girls, both of you calm down," Kane butt in with a sigh of exasperation. "We'll just settle this like we did last time."

Monika and Summers glared at eachother but eventually turned away, each grumbling harsh words under their breath.

"Whatever."

"Fine."

Ichika sighed as the three looked expectantly towards him. He pulled out a quarter from his pocket and flipped it high into the sky before snatching it out of the air and slapping it onto the back of his palm.

"We should at least let the man call it, it's his life after all," Summer said, pointing to the man who was still being held down by Kane.

"Heads or tails," Ichika asked dispassionately, once again closing his heart to the enemy.

"Wha- I don't understand. Please Ameri-"

"Call it scumbag," Monika spat, shoving her pistol's barrel into the side of the man's head.

The man attempted to squirm away but Kane's grip held tight and he was forced to stare down the pistol's barrel.

The man began to sweat profusely as he mentally broke down in front of the four pre-teens. It was only after a minute of whimpering did he raise his head. "T-Tails."

"Hm, I'm sorry sir," Ichika intoned, shaking his head and kneeling down to show the coin resting on his palm.

"N-No, Americans please! My-"

*Crack*

"Fuck Wyler, a warning would be nice. You got the guys blood all over me!" Kane hissed, letting the body fall limply onto the ground.

"Err- sorry Kane, my bad," Monika apologized, holstering her pistol.

"Whatever."

Ichika looked down at his quarter and wiped off a drop of blood that had dirtied its surface. To think a mere 25 cents could decide not only a man's innocence, but his mortality. But was the man even an enemy? Their job was to destroy the enemy, but what if this man really was just a doctor?

Monika would later convince Ichika that it was the right decision.

* * *

**Three Years Later**

It had been approximately a total of four years since the eight trainees had received their IS and a lot had changed. Ichika along with the other seven had officially completed their training under the instructor who they were now supposed to refer to as Chiron. It was a fitting name for such a great instructor in Ichika's opinion.

Ichika still saw his seven friends often. Infact, Kane and West were in his same squad during last week's operation. York was often seen helping with the logistical stuff around base. And sometimes on rare occasions, Ichika would be in a team with all seven of the girls. Those were always the best operations.

Every single one of them had officially become pilots of the organization. The instructor, or rather Chiron, had informed them of the organization's tradition of giving new pilots aliases.

Unsurprisingly, he had been nicknamed 'Owl' after his unique IS. Kane had been dubbed 'Apostle', West was named 'Rider', Summer was 'Thirteen', Finley 'Vulture', Schaefer was 'Shepherd', York was 'Lioness', and finally Monika was named 'Bloodhound'.

Monika in particular had been pleased about her cool sounding name. Ichika however thought any name with the word blood in it would suit his eccentric companion. Despite being his best friend, even Ichika was sometimes put off by her more manic side.

Ichika's IS had also undergone changes and retrofitting over the four years. Using one of his expansion slots, he'd attached two heavy duty grappling hook launchers that rested on each hip. Further, he used his nickname as 'Owl' as inspiration to add talon shaped blades to the armour plates covering his feet. And after an offhand remark from Monika, Ichika had officially named the serrated armour plates that floated around him like an owl's wings, 'feathers'.

Monika had made fun of him for going all in on the owl motif, but Ichika liked it. It was not only functional, but intimidating.

He did miss the old days though. Waking up in a panic with his friends and frantically trying to live up to the instructor's standard day in and day out. After he'd gotten used to the general chaos, there had been a certain charm to it. However he supposed the operations he found himself deployed on had their moments. A lot of fourteen hour operations only had about two hours of fighting so most of the time he would just sit around chat with his fellow pilots.

The teen's musings were cut short however as his radio crackled to life.

"Owl, My IS shows there's another IS in the camp. I'm pretty sure it's a mass produced model, an Uchigane maybe. How those rats got their hands on an IS is beyond me, but the operation stays the same," Monika's voice buzzed.

"Are you certain? Where is it specifically?" Ichika asked through the radio.

"I'm 100%, Vestige is never wrong. The pilot is inside the house with the flag. Currently… they're resting their back on the east facing wall," Monika replied.

"If the mission stays the same, what's the plan?" Ichika grunted, quickly locating the house with a flag flapping freely from atop its roof.

"You deal with the pilot, you're better at that kind of stuff. I'll use Vestige's tracking to find and extract the two Americans. You get in position to attack with your stealth and standby. If they spot me then take the IS, if they don't then wait for me to get into overwatch position before moving. Either way, our second priority objective is now that IS."

"I'll try and grab the core for extraction when we go in," Ichika stated.

"Affirmative. Remember, if we're spotted at all, we gotta wipe the base," Monika reminded.

"I know," Ichika affirmed. "I'll move in on your mark."

"I have my IS's goggles in partial deployment right now. I'm moving through their compound right now so you might as well get in position," Monika informed.

"Roger."

Ichika descended from his position high in the night sky, his feathers emitting a sound suppression field around him to silence his descent. He was like a falling star as he plummeted down. It didn't matter how loud he was, absolute silence was guaranteed as long as the sound suppression field stood.

There was a single sentry posted to the building's roof. A single man wrapped in a hijab and carrying a cheap AK-47. Ichika had seen and killed countless people of an identical description.

As Ichika neared the roof, his feathers fanned out, increasing the total rage of the sound suppression field. He could exponentially increase how large the field became at the cost of his IS's power reserve.

The man screamed when Ichika plunged the talon-like blade attached to his feet into the man's shoulders. Unfortunately for his victim, all sound failed to reach anyone outside of his little world of silence.

With a quick and decisive tug, the man's body was asunder and fell limp in his grasp. He retracted his talons from the body with a sickening squelch, letting the body fall in a messy heap atop the roof before letting his feathers fold in. Once again, the sound suppression field covered just barely around him and Fukurō.

"Are you in position Owl? I'm just about to extract the hostages," Monika's voice buzzed over the radio.

"Give me a few seconds," Ichika replied, quikly soaring back into the dark night sky. "I'm in positio-"

"Fuck shit fuck they saw me, go loud! I'll get those hostages you get that IS!" Monika yelled over the radio. Ichika could hear gunshots on the other side of the base.

Without waiting another second, Ichika reversed his momentum in a mad blitz downwards. He crashed through the shoddy roof and immediately recognized the enemy pilot who had already activated their IS in response to the gunshots.

Monika had been right, it was an Uchigane mode. Even if its frame was unremarkable mass produced tash, the core was invaluable.

Ichika lunged forwards in a heartbeat like a bird of prey, his talons grabbing hold of the Uchigane, grinding against its automatic energy shield as they reached for flesh. He took into account six other occupants in the room who were scrambling for their third rate weapons.

Unable to escape Ichika's firm grasp, the enemy pilot materialized a .61 sub machine gun and began spraying bullets into his own energy shield. One of the grappling hook launchers on Ichika's waist fired and wrapped itself around the enemy IS's arm. The pilot's aim was thrown across the room as the hook's cable reeled itself in, dismembering a few of her allies with the weapon's IS grade ammunition.

One woman who dived out of the stray bullets' trajectory sprayed Ichika's side with what Ichika recognized as a T65 assault rifle.

Ichika remained unfazed as the bullets didn't even reach the energy shield, merely bouncing off his IS's armour plating. He did however dispatch one of his feathers, only taking a sliver of attention off the enemy pilot in order to do so.

The serrated armour plate that made up one of his feathers soared through the air and embedded itself in the woman's stomach before she could react. It was a quick yet painful death as the feather's serrated edge sawed through flesh and internal organs.

This discouraged two of the others as they stumbled over each other for the exit while one brave individual stood their ground and fired into Ichika's other flank.

Ichika grunted as he rotated his hips, forcing the enemy pilot's line of fire to sweep over the room once again, killing all three.

Realizing what she'd just done, the enemy pilot screamed at Ichika who was still grinding away at her shield with his talons. He was close, he could practically feel the shield begin buckle under the strain.

The enemy pilot quickly understood what was about to happen and lowered her head in defeat. She had given up.

Ichika said nothing as the shield finally broke and the weight of his IS crushed down on the woman's torso, his talons piercing through flesh to finish the job. He materialized his gauntlets and utilized the wrist mounted blades to carve out the core from deep within the IS. The teen pocketed the pearl like sphere before taking off through the roof once again.

Men and women took shots at his ascending figure but they only served to barely chip his shield capacity. They would all have to die, they had all seen his IS. Very few had ever lived after seeing a FOXHOUND operator unless they were an ally.

"I have the core, what's your situation?" Ichika called over his radio.

"Both hostages are accounted for. I'm just about to leave," Monika replied.

A second later, Ichika could see an explosion before Monika, donning her IS, soared upwards towards Ichika. Two slumped bodies were tucked under her arm.

"Was the enemy pilot any go- hold on to these guys," Monika interrupted herself, tossing the two bodies through the air towards her partner who frantically moved to catch them.

She materialized her sniper rifle and aimed at the rockets that had locked onto them from hastily set up launchers. Some exploded as they were shot down before ever leaving the ground, others similarly were shot down as they were no match for Monika's sharp shooting.

"The hostages are drugged up and barely conscious. Go take them to the extraction site and I'll take care of business here. Those rats won't stand a chance against my Vestige," Monika stated, materializing two miniguns mounted atop her shoulders.

Sometimes Ichika felt a little jealous of his friend's sheer firepower. But he was usually relegated to the close combat role so he bit the bullet and was a team player about it. It wasn't like his friends could do what he could up close after all.

"Roger, good luck Bloodhound," Ichika said, tucking the hostages into a more secure grip before beginning to fly away.

"Wait Ich- err Owl, it's not mission related but uhh, do you want to watch a movie on the plane ride home? I brought some of my DVDs so…"

Ichika looked down at the bullets that were flying towards them then back to Monika with a sigh. "I mean, if you brought your DVD player all the way out here then sure."

Monika nodded with excitement. "I'll wrap this up real quick then. It's been so long since we've had a movie night."

The two soon separated in opposite directions. Ichika wanted to help his friend but he supposed the two American Delta operators in his arms were more important right now.

He smiled to himself as the sounds of fighting faded over the horizon. He wondered what movies had Monika brought. She was into those cheesy action movies, but he knew she had a secret soft spot for sappy romance.

The gruesome melee was long forgotten as Ichika pondered over brighter topics. It was movie night after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Nine Months Later**

"Hamburgers or hotdogs?"

Ichika scratched his chin. "Hamburgers."

"Death by drowning or immolation?"

"That's a tough one, drowning would be more pleasant I guess. Well, as pleasant as drowning can be," Ichika replied.

Monika shrugged. "Probably, death by burning sounds way cooler though."

A few seconds of silence passed as Monika thought up more pointless questions.

"Football or baseball?"

"I know you like football, but baseball takes more skill. Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with baseball."

"Well, you're completely wrong, but whatever," Monika said with a frown.

The girl paused for a moment before giggling. "How about this one, French girls or German girls?"

Ichika saw Schaefer fidget from across the warehouse.

"Uhh…"

"Answer the damn question Ichika, or are you just a chicken?" Monika snorted.

"Well, German girls I guess. Someone told me that all french girls do is smoke all day. Also, I guess I like how Germans are hardworking and prioritize punctuality," Ichika relented. He saw Schaefer give him a discreet smile and a thumbs up.

"I guess you Japanese like that sort of diligent lifestyle. If you and Germany ever want to make another Tripartite Pact alliance, invite America this time. With us three, we could surely take over the entire world!" Monika boasted, raising her fists dramatically.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to bring that up to a country I'm no longer a citizen of," Ichika deadpanned.

"Alright alright, make fun of me if you want. But in all seriousness do you think we could do it?" Monika asked.

"What, take over the world? No way, we'd need way more than just America, Japan, and Germany," Ichika retorted, shaking his head.

"Owl's right," Schaefer said, joining the conversation. "We'd need more European nations. Remember the big war? Even with America's help, Germany wouldn't be able to fight off all the central European nations alongside Britain and France."

"Ok listen to this. The U.S would back out of NATO and launch a surprise invasion on Britain before they could mobilize while Germany marched for Paris. From there we'd link up and rough up Spain and Portugal before Eastern Europe can make up their minds about what's going on. We'd have most of Western Europe in the bag before we ever had to worry about a multi-front war," Monika proposed.

"And Japan?"

"Well, I guess they'd start with the Philippines and move down towards Australia. With America, we'd have Pacific dominance and could stage an invasion of China."

Ichika sighed. "You left out so many logistics out of the picture. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't France be able to fight Germany to a standstill? They're not the same as they were during the Big War. Even if the Dunois Family is on the decline, they're still plenty powerful. Second generation or not, the Rafael Revive models aren't anything to scoff at."

Schaefer scoffed in offense, making Ichika chuckle. "Those rust buckets? Surely those things don't stand even a single chance against superior German engineering."

Ichika sighed.

"Well I suppose it does-"

"Owl, Shepherd, stop talking," Monika commanded, activating her IS.

Ichika and Schaefer followed her example and activated their own IS. Soon Ichika's Fukurō, Monika's Vestige, and Schaefer's Schwarzer Adler stood in a loose triangular formation.

"Sitrep Bloodhound," Ichika demanded, eyes darting around the warehouse's entrances. The mission was to rendezvous with Phantom Task pilots for an information exchange. Due to Schaefer's insistence, they had arrived much earlier than the meeting's designated time.

Ichika supposed it would be a shame if things went south and they had to retreat back to America. The meeting point was in Japan and Ichika was looking forward to showing Monika and Schaefer at least a little of his old home.

Monika received a transmission from intelligence. "Masks on for now, Phantom Task has backed out because the site's been compromised."

The three slid on gas masks that they all had clipped onto their tactical gear. They were operating without insignias but the masks were for the comfort of having their faces concealed. Monika had in fact petitioned to have themed masks depending on their aliases, but Ichika had immediately shot that idea down. Honestly, he'd be too embarrassed to fight properly. Plus, gas masks were just more tactically viable.

Monika flipped down Vestige's multi-purpose goggles over her mask. "Seems clear..."

She looked up. "Pilot coming from above!"

Just as Ichika and Schaefer registered their companion's words, a blue IS came crashing through the warehouse's roof. It seemed the IS and the merciless destruction of roofing went hand in hand.

The three FOXHOUND operators immediately opened fire. Monika's miniguns roared while Schaefer deployed her built in rockets. Ichika for his part fired into the IS with his wrist mounted machine guns. Their barrage proved ineffective however as the IS suddenly burst into… water?

"Cease fire, it's a decoy," Monika demanded. "I can see the real one though, she's hanging back."

Ichika trusted his friend and her IS as he squinted at the cloud of smoke generated by Schaefer's rockets that covered the hole in the warehouse's roof.

Monika materialized her sniper rifle and took aim at the smoke cloud.

"I can see you dumbass," she whispered, centering her sight on the pale outline of the 'real' blue IS past the smoke screen.

She began unloading her clip into the IS, the first two shots bouncing off the automatic shield.

Noticing she no longer had the element of surprise, the pilot of the blue IS rushed through the smokescreen. She blocked all the oncoming sniper shots with a barrier created from water manipulation.

The blue IS's lance thrust forwards towards Monika who threw herself backwards to avoid the blow. The pilot of the blue IS tisked as another IS body checked her, sending her IS skidding away. It seemed these three Phantom Task pilots had some talent.

Where was the third? The pilot of the blue IS swore there were three of them. She was startled from her thoughts as a sudden weight crashed down on her shoulders, talon shaped blades latching onto the armour plating that covered her arms. The pilot, wearing a gas mask like their companions pinned her in place with those talons while firing shots into her shield with wrist mounted guns. She didn't sense the thing at all, how did it get above her?"

"Get off her Owl, two more are inbound!" Monika shouted.

However before Ichika could untangle himself with the blue IS, another IS rocketed through the top of the warehouse and tackled him off their companion. The new IS was primarily white in colour with certain parts painted blue.

"More third generations, this is bad," Monika muttered.

Just before the pilot of the white IS could plunge its energy blade into Ichika's shield, it was blown to the side courtesy of one of Schaefer's rockets.

Taking some deep breaths, Ichika scrambled to his feet and moved to stand by Scahefer and Monika's side.

Schaefer and Monika both had long range orientated IS, he would have to act as not only the vanguard but their protector so they could get their shots off. But before Ichika could throw himself back into the fray, yet another IS descended from the hole in the ceiling.

The new arrival was a jet black IS with a very large and very scary looking shoulder mounted railgun. The new IS made Ichika hesitate and rethink his battle strategy. Soon, the six IS faced each other in a standoff, neither side looking to back off.

Monika's miniguns spun menacingly, Schaefer's heavy duty missile launchers primed themselves, and Ichika's feathers fanned out, the teen mentally preparing himself should he need to individually control several of his feathers at once.

Monika analyzed her enemies and bit her lip in irritation, drawing blood. "That's the Brunhilde, retreat is now our highest priority."

Ichika's eyes widened as he swiveled his gaze to the white IS. It was indeed the Brunhile, the winner of the Mondo Grosso, it was Chifuyu-nee. This was wrong, this wasn't supposed to be how they reunited. Was Chifuyu-nee the enemy now?

Monika noticed her friend fidget slightly. "Calm down Owl, our highest priority is retreat. We don't want to be fighting sovereign pilots… they are not the enemy."

"Listen, we are not here to fight you people," Monika began, raising her hands in a placating manner. Usually she would be the first to encourage conflict, but this was her best friend's sister, she wanted to make a good impression. Plus, she wasn't looking to sortie with the Brunhilde herself.

"I am aware-"

Monika was cut off as the Brunhilde's IS's fold out armor activated and the woman lunged at her in a blisteringly fast attack. She grit her teeth as she watched the energy blade slice towards her in slow motion. She could register the attack, but it was just too fast to react to,

However just before she was cut, she was tackled out of the way by Schaefer who raised an energy shield to block the attack. Monika's eyes widened in abject horror as the energy blade negated the energy barrier like a hot knife through butter.

Schaefer coughed up blood, her IS stumbling back.

"Fuck! Cover me Owl, we're leaving!" Monika screamed, taking hold of her friend who was holding her hands over the gash in her stomach.

Ichika couldn't help throwing a quick glance at Schaefer's wound before launching himself at his sister, talons outstretched. As the White IS blocked his strike, Ichika sent a couple of his feathers soaring towards the other two IS in hopes to distract them.

Before he could back away however, Chifuyu grabbed hold of his ankle and slammed him into the ground.

Ichika immediately pushed himself back up and recalled his feathers, he'd need all his concentration just to stand a small chance against his sister. He charged forwards once more whilst firing blindly from his wrist mounted machine guns.

He acted as if he was going to lunge forwards with his talons once again but broke off last second. Circling behind the white IS, he deployed both his grappling hooks which wrapped around the back of Chifuyu's arms before rapidly reeling the hooks in. With his sister off balance, Ichika lunged forwards in earnest with his razor sharp talons.

Chifuyu grunted as she heaved on the cables pulling both of her arms back. With sheer strength, she flung the pilot using their own cables off course and into the ground for the second time.

"Laura, restrain her," Chifuyu commanded, scouring the warehouse for the other two. They were eventually spotted, the two making a hasty retreat. That was fine, she only needed one anyways.

"Ja mentor," the pilot of the black IS responded.

As Ichika tried to pick himself up once again, he was met with the enormous barrel of a rail gun pointed directly at his face.

"You have lost," the pilot spoke with a heavy German accent.

The railgun rumbled, gathering electromagnetic power, before firing its payload point blank.

Ichika's vision went white.

* * *

"..."

"..."

"The pilot of the first core, formidable prey is she not?"

Ichika's eyes blurrily opened before snapping to attention. He quickly found his footing and searched his surroundings. He was… in a forest? Where was his team? What happened with him and his sister? Something was definitely off.

Looking up, Ichika saw a young girl sitting on a tree branch. She was dressed in a long brown cloak with a hood that came up and over her head. The girl was looking down at him with brilliant amber eyes with her head tilted to the side.

"Was I… knocked out?" Ichika muttered, still regaining his bearings.

"Indeed you were pilot, for a whole two seconds infact. No matter, that's more than enough time for me," the girl responded, dropping down from the tree branch to softly land on the ground.

She gracefully stalked up to him and looked up at him with a smile. "Can you guess who I am?"

Ichika gave the girl a once over. Her brown cloak had black feather-like textures tapering the bottom of her cloak. To further his suspicion, there were two cute owl-like ears that protruded from the hood of her cloak.

As the girl looked up at him expectantly, Ichika took in her features under the hood. She had straight brown hair and pale skin. Her large amber amber eyes seemed to glow as she waited expectantly.

"You are… the IS," Ichika stated evenly.

"Bingo! Got it in one pilot."

"Hm, call me Ichika. We've been partners for about five years after all," Ichika said, scratching the back of his head.

"As you say Ichika. Call me Fukurō then, I quite like the name you gave me that day," Fukurō chirped.

Ichika nodded.

"You're taking this a lot better than expected. I was prepared to be all mysterious and mess with you until you figured it out," Fukurō remarked, holding a hand in front of her mouth as she giggled.

"It's not that far fetched, we were told IS were sentient after all. And even if this is just a weird dream, I'll just wake up feeling stupid," Ichika replied with a shrug.

"Interesting indeed. It fills me with joy that you were selected to be my pilot."

Ichika slightly blushed. "I feel the same Fukurō, I wouldn't have gotten to this point if it wasn't for you. I am only truly strong when we're working together."

"Ha, it seems we are the two pieces that result in an apex predator when joined. What an amusing concept if I do say so myself. Onto pressing matters however, there is something I wanted to discuss when I called you here," Fukurō stated.

Ichika straightened and schooled his visage into a serious one.

"I've felt a sensation deep within myself. I am unsure how to explain it in human terms, but it is as if I realized something about myself as you fought those three pilots. My point, we have unlocked second shift. You know the significance of this, correct?"

Ichika nodded.

"Good, I'll spare you the details then. Today is a momentous day for the both of us Ichika, we have unlocked what you humans call a one off ability. When you activate it, everyone else will become flightless birds, we will be the only hunter in the sky. In addition, you will be gaining six more 'feathers' as you call them. Don't you dare use them like the others though, these are our precious tail feathers. They will greatly improve our aerial mobility," Fukurō lectured, pacing back and forth in front of Ichika.

Once she finished her rant, she looked up to Ichika with a predatory smile. "It seems our time is up. Off you go my pilot, I want to hunt."

* * *

Ichika's eyes snapped open for the second time. He was lying on his back and the black IS was just beginning to turn away from him. He made his move.

"Second shift," he muttered and he could feel his IS hum as if in agreement. In accordance with his command, six feathers, smaller than his serrated ones, materialized behind him, fanning out from his waist.

The serrated edges of the feathers that made up his 'wings' glowed with energy, becoming sharper. His IS's frame and torso piece became larger and more pronounced. He felt power surging through his very core, it was an ecstatic feeling, he felt like an apex predator.

A hud appeared in the corner of Ichika's vision. **[One Off Ability: Lone Hunter]**. Ichika targeted all three enemy IS. "**Activate**".

Laura's head whipped around as Ichika rose to his feet. "Sceisse, how tough are these pilots?"

She charged her railgun once again and tried to fly back to create distance. She ended up stumbling as her IS's flight capabilities refused to activate. "A malfunction!?"

The girl had no time to dwell on it however as Ichika flew into the air and latched his talons onto the shoulder mounted railgun. With a sharp tug, the girl's beloved railgun was torn off her IS. Ichika's talons then found themselves lodged in her armour plating.

Using his newfound strength, Ichika hurled the girl across the warehouse into the blue IS that had similarly lost flight capability. The two collided in an entanglement of metallic limbs.

"Bloodhound, I've disabled enemy flight capability with my IS. Let's get out of here," Ichika called out.

Monika landed next to Ichika, breathing heavily and supporting a still wounded Schaefer. "Wha- how? It doesn't matter. I've got Shepherd stabilized but she's in no condition to fight. Let's go."

The three began retreating through the hole in the roof before Ichika was suddenly yanked backwards. He looked down and saw a glowing purple wire wrapped around his ankle.

"You're not getting away," Laura spat, deploying five more cables that latched onto Ichika's immobilized form.

Ichika grimaced. "Get out of here Bloodhound, I'll catch up."

"No fucking way I'm leaving you behind!" Monika retorted, firing her miniguns at the black IS.

The blue IS jumped in front of the fire however, raising a shield made of water.

"Go Bloodhound, you have to get Shepherd out of here. Please, my one off ability takes a lot of energy to maintain, I can't hold them for much longer."

Ichika saw his sister running across the warehouse. He desperately sent six of his feathers in a frantic attempt to stop her. They were cut down with ease and he was forced to send his remaining six feathers to suffer his sister's wrath.

"Please."

"Shut the fuck up and let me get you out of these things," Monika spat, grabbing hold of Ichika's IS and tugging as hard as she could. She screamed in frustration as the purple cables held strong, anchoring Ichika's hovering IS.

"Please Mo- Bloodhound. We're friends, best friends even. I won't die, I promise, so god damn it Bloodhound, get the fuck out of here," Ichika hissed, Saphire meeting dark brown as he looked Monika in the eyes.

Monika paused, her friend never sweared to liberally unless he was dead serious. "Fuck shit fuck fuck FUCK. Y-You better keep that god damn promise."

Tears pricked her eyes as she finally let Ichika's IS go. "When I find you, I'm going slap you so hard your head is gonna fly the fuck off!"

With that, she rocketed through the ceiling with Schaefer in tow, continuing to shout further profanities along the way.

Ichika smiled as Monika's form disappeared over the horizon. Now all he had to do was buy time. "Chifuyu Orimura, I know where your brother is."

Chifuyu growled, making Ichika wince. "Don't play games with me. You'll spill every damn thing you know in an interrogation room."

"Tatenashi, take this little owl out."

"With pleasure Ms. Orimura," Tatenashi purred, creating two water clones which hurled the original into the air and towards Ichika.

However, utilizing his six metallic tail feathers, Ichika suddenly reversed his flight path. Laura fell on her back as the weight she was pulling on suddenly disappeared and Ichika landed squarely on her shoulders, talons tearing away at her energy shield.

He was thrown off the black IS as a hand roughly grabbed his torso piece. His sister promptly flung him over her shoulder and into the concrete ground for the third time that day.

"You know what? I think I've changed my mind. How about I interrogate you right here and now?" Chifuyu declared, shattering Ichika's shield with her energy blade.

Ichika gasped, the wind had been knocked right out of him. "T-That won't be necessary… Chifuyu-nee."

"W-What?" Chifuyu gasped, ripping off Ichika's gas mask.

Ichika coughed up some blood, it seemed he was more injured after all. The automatic energy shield only activated for fatal attacks and the many times he had been tossed around by his sister was starting to catch up to him.

"C-Chifuyu-nee, it's been so long… I've m-missed you."

Darkness enveloped his vision and the last thing he felt was his sister clutching him in her arms.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hmm, looks like you're about to wake up," Fukurō stated, lazily swinging her legs back and forth from atop a tree branch.

Ichika stood up, brushing the sticks and dirt that clung to his pants. "How do you know?"

Fukurō shrugged. "I just feel it."

She jumped down from her branch, kicking up a small dust cloud. "You're lucky it was your sister who defeated you. Anybody else and you were probably dead."

Ichika pursed his lips. "I know that fukurō."

"You're not the only one who's upset you know. I am first and foremost a hunter. To be crushed so easily by the first core's pilot is humiliating," Fukurō sighed with a slight frown.

Ichika didn't say anything in response.

"It's alright my pilot. In the end, your wellbeing is what I care most for," Fukurō declared. She stood on tips of her toes as she reached her hand up to Ichika's head, giving it a few pats. Even if it was awkward, Ichika couldn't help but feel heartened by his IS's attempt.

"I'll always be here by your side Ichika. Your victories are my victories and your losses are my losses. As long as you give yourself to me, I will always devote my entirety to you. We won't be beaten next time Ichika," Fukurō said with a nod.

"We will be the hunters next time."

* * *

Ichika's eyes opened slowly only to hastily shut as he heard the sounds of a door opening. High heels clacked on a hard floor as an unknown person walked into the room.

A full minute of silence ensued as Ichika listened for audible cues that would signal his need to react. Surprisingly, he still felt the familiar feeling of Fukurō on his index finger.

"Eagles that fly," the unknown person began.

Ichika's eyes snapped open, recognizing the sign.

"Are the strongest," he replied. The woman standing across from his bed was beautiful with long flowing blonde hair.

"Hmph, so you really were awake. You know, this is the last place I'd expect a Hound pilot to show up," the woman grunted.

Ichika's eyes narrowed. "I don't know you, how much do you know?"

"I'm only privy to their existence. Don't really know much else but I have encountered a few of its operators over the years," the woman stated, inspecting her nails. "The name's Natasha Fairs, U.S representative candidate. Your sister must love you a lot, it was quite hard finding a time when she wasn't literally hovering over you."

Ichika looked around the room suspiciously.

"It's not bugged, I've checked," Natasha stated.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Ichika demanded.

"Two days give or take. But let's talk about the future shall we, Hound pilots simply don't get discovered, much less captured."

Ichika nodded.

"The little warehouse scuffle you guys had is being swept under the rug. The common agreement is that IS Academy members mobilized against Phantom Task, no U.S involvement. While America blatantly broke the Alaska Treaty, Japan's turning a blind eye for the sake of their precious Brunhilde. They'd also look bad if they called treaty violations to attention, it's not as if Japan hasn't dabbled in the idea of breaking the Alaska Treaty."

"So the situation has blown over?"

Natasha nodded. "Pretty much, you're lucky your comrades got out. The Japanese government seems to care more about you being the first male IS pilot rather than the fact that there were three IS pilots not bearing any insignias operating in their airspace."

The blonde woman put her hands on her hips. "However it does have some drawbacks. Too many people have taken notice of this incident and the Japanese government would throw a fit if you just went back to the states. It would be a bad idea for you to go back to the organization with all these eyes on you. Therefore…"

Ichika connected the dots. "I'm to be stationed here in Japan?"

He connected more dots. "In… in the IS Academy?"

"Ho? You caught on fast. You are a Hound pilot I suppose. Tell me, is Watchdog still around?" Natasha asked.

Ichika hesitated before answering. "Yes, why?"

"Oh just curious, I saw her a couple times back when I did army stuff. Man, she was a total psycho back then. Glad she's on our side," Natasha reminisced with a flat smile. "Anyways, those are your orders. You are to attend the IS Academy until further notice."

"Understood."

"Huh, that was easy. Don't you Hound pilots hate the IS Academy?"

Ichika shook his head. "If those are command's order, I will follow them."

The two were interrupted however as the door to the room slammed open, revealing a livid Chifuyu Orimura.

"What are you doing here Fairs. More importantly, what possible business do you have with MY brother?" Chifuyu growled with narrow eyes.

"Calm down Orimura, I was just catching my compatriot up on today's politics. I'll take my leave though, I'm so crude as to keep brother and sister from reuniting after all these years," Natasha stated, avoiding Chifuyu's withering gaze.

Chifuyu sighed as Natasha Fairs left the room, closing the door behind her. She collapsed in the chair by Ichika's bed and simply stared at her brother in disbelief. Eventually, the icy expression thawed and she allowed six years of repressed emotion to seep out.

No words were exchanged as she leaned in and gently pulled Ichika's head into the crook of her neck. Ichika wrapped his arms around his sister in response. Only the slight tremble in her shoulders told Ichika that she was quietly sobbing.

"I… I looked for so long. I searched and I searched and I searched and yet… w-where have you been Ichika? Why, after so many years, could I not find my precious little brother until now?"

Ichika swallowed. "Chifuyu-nee I'm sorry, I'm sorry I never came back to you. Back then, back when Phantom Task kidnapped me-"

"Please Ichika, you can tell me later. Right now… just let your big sister have this moment. Just a little longer," Chifuyu pleaded, holding her brother tight in her arms.

Ichika complied, sinking into his sister's embrace. No more words were exchanged as the two relished in the catharsis. However in the back of Ichika's mind, the FOXHOUND operator in him was crafting a cover story. Six years was a long time.

* * *

**Four Days Later**

Ichika carefully sliced the beef with his borrowed kitchen knife, gently placing the strip of meat onto a plate.

He'd been confined to his sister's house for a few days while his enrollment was finalized. For his short stay, he decided to take over the house chores like the old days. Eventually, he couldn't resist the kitchen's call.

As he poured gravy over the beef, he heard the pattering of feet coming from the stairs. His sister was out doing errands so this could only Laura Bodewig, his sister's pupil, and the set of eyes watching him when his sister couldn't. He recognized the silver haired girl as the one who had blasted him point blank with her heavy railgun.

Unsurprisingly, the two had gotten off to a rocky start, but they'd managed to settle into a relationship of begrudging respect as they discovered each other's military upbringing.

Laura's nose twitched and she approached her mentor's brother. Even if she wouldn't admit it, Ichika Orimura interested her. He seemed unremarkable at first glance, but his eyes betrayed his true self. Laura identified not only a fellow pilot of skill, but a fellow experienced soldier in his eyes alone.

As she peeked over his shoulder, her lone eye widened. "Is that… Sauerbraten?"

"Indeed, do you want some?" Ichika offered, sending a sideways glance at the girl.

The boy struggled not to tense up in the presence of Laura Bodewig. He knew somewhere in that uniform of hers she was holding onto some very sharp and very lethal weapons. His instincts practically screamed at him to put his guard up.

Laura Bodewig was the last person he thought of when thinking of an IS Academy student. She was disciplined, she was strong, and she carried herself like he did.

"I… I would indeed like some. What must I give in exchange for this meal?" Laura questioned.

"Nothing really, I just made a lot and figured you'd want some," Ichika retorted.

"Why would you cook in such excess? Is it to acquire my favour?"

Ichika sighed. "Even if it was, would you really turn down this free meal? I just cook to take my mind off things, it's not as complicated as you're making it out to be. But if you really don't want any-"

"No! No, I would very much appreciate a portion of your Sauerbraten Ichika Orimura," Laura spluttered.

Ichika nodded in relief, finally getting a straight answer out of the girl. "You're the one who's supposed to be monitoring me and yet it feels like you're the one on edge."

Laura tisked. "I shouldn't even be here, I should be training with my unit. The only reason I'm here is because your sister stubbornly refuses to return to Germany with me."

"Why is Chifuyu-nee the reason? Sounds to me like you can just go home whenever you want. I'm on the other hand, stuck here to attend the IS Academy for the foreseeable future," Ichika sighed, placing two plates of Sauerbraten on the dining table.

Laura stamped her foot. "Because it is unacceptable! These… These rotten schoolgirls are a complete waste of my mentor's precious time. Her place should be in Germany, with my unit, with me!"

"You're right on the first part. But I'm sure my sister has a reason, I think it would be best for you to respect that fact before demanding anything of her," Ichika snorted.

Not receiving a response, Ichika shrugged before beginning to dig into the tender beef on his plate, something Laura copied. The two sat in silence, only the clanking of silverware filling the void. The German meal seemed to simmer Laura's mood and soon the stoic girl Ichika was used to sat calmly opposite him.

"You're not like them Laura, I can tell," Ichika suddenly stated, looking directly into her eye that wasn't covered by her eyepatch. "You were trained as a soldier before you were trained as a pilot weren't you?"

Laura didn't respond, a small frown maring her face.

"You're special. What was it, KSM, KSK, GSG9?" Ichika asked.

Laura's expression became more guarded. "I… I've come to respect you some Ichika. You are yet to gain my trust however. America is not the only nation that has monsters hiding in their closet. Don't forget that I was at the warehouse that day, I know you have your own secrets."

"I suppose I did get carried away," Ichika admitted with a shake of his head. "Perhaps one day we will have the liberty of sharing stories."

"Perhaps," Laura agreed. "Either way, thank you for the German meal. The food at the academy is fine, but it has a terribly low selection of German cuisine."

Ichika stood up offering to take Laura's plate.

The girl nodded in appreciation. "Danke."

"No problem," Ichika muttered before beginning to wash all the dishes he'd created. As he washed in silence, he sent a sideways glance at the girl. She was still sitting at the table, inspecting a combat knife she pulled out from who knew where.

Ichika slightly grimaced. He'd spent a vast majority of his time the last four or so years fully equipped in tactical gear. It was an unspoken norm in FOXHOUND to wear your gear wherever you went to avoid the hassle of putting it on and taking it off. Gear was simply cleaned when operators cleaned themselves. Ichika doubted he had ever been ten feet away from his bullet-proof vest since he became an official operator.

That was until now. He honestly felt naked being in the same room as Laura who he was convinced was a walking armory. The only comfort he still had was the small silver ring on his index finger.

His sister had given him the small mercy of keeping his IS. Speaking of his sister, he and Chifuyu-nee had a… strange relationship at the moment. Chifuyu knew he was hiding things and Ichika knew she didn't fully believe him. His sister didn't press him too hard however, she didn't want to ruin what they had.

Likewise, Ichika felt a bit strange when he spent time with his sister. Most of the time he used a sort of persona. He talked about what happened that day, he talked about dinner, he talked about the weather. He talked like a civilian.

He just couldn't talk like he usually did with his fellow operators. It was like there was an invisible line that separated the two. Ichika could pretend like he could cross that line, like he could be 'normal', but he knew it all as an act in the back of his mind. His brain just didn't work like normal people, not anymore.

There was fear too, a fear that she would figure him out. A fear that she would see past the pretty words and careful smiles to see who he really was.

He knew many people would consider him evil. He'd long since been desensitized to this fact as he realized only the organization's validation truly mattered. But would his sister think that? Would Chifuyu-nee think he was an evil person?

His sister was smart, eventually she would figure it out. Doubt welled up inside his chest as his mind raged in conflict. This was like when he first started killing. Back then he just kept killing, just kept following orders, and he kept receiving positive reinforcement for his actions. Eventually it all stopped mattering to him and he learned to kill with a straight face. But how would he solve his inner turmoil now? He couldn't just kill his way out of it…

"Ichika?"

"Huh?" Ichika asked dumbly. He was holding a plate, water from the faucet streamed down its already clean surface. How long had he been standing there?

"What's wrong with you?"

Ichika shook his head. "N-Nothing. Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff."

Laura raised an eyebrow in disbelief but didn't comment. Instead, she ended up going back upstairs after once again giving Ichika a thanks for the meal.

The boy shook his head once more, sighing deeply. He wished he would stop being so introspective. Questioning himself wasn't resulting in answers, just more problems. He missed the simple life, he missed his friends. He was more focused when he was working.

Even though he slept in a soft bed, cooked food whenever he wanted, and saw his sister every day, he missed his life of comfortable discomfort.

* * *

"Man, I'm so jealous. I bet Orimura's living the high life right now with the Brunhilde," Finley complained, dumping sand out of her boots.

"With the way Wyler is acting, you'd think he was captured by terrorists and getting his eyeballs plucked out. I bet he gets to shower and eat restaurant food every day," Summers said wistfully.

"Lay off her Summers. Wyler just feels responsible for Orimura getting captured. With everything going on, Orimura might not even be able to come back to FOXHOUND."

"Defending Wyler? That's rare York, usually you're the first one to criticize her," Summers huffed,

York looked to the side and scoffed. "I'm not saying she isn't also overreacting. It's just that I can empathize with her. I'd be pissed if I had to leave behind one of you guys to get captured. It doesn't help that she and Orimura were inseparable."

"She made the decision to leave Orimura behind because of Schaefer right?" Finley asked as she massaged her blistered feet.

"Yeah, how did Schaefer even get so messed up?" Summers remarked.

"Heard it was the Brunhilde who cut Schaefer open. Orimura's got a bitch of a sister," York tisked.

"I'm just glad she's not on our hit list, can you imagine having to kill the Brunhilde? There would definitely be casualties even for our most senior operators," Finley sighed.

"You think Watchdog could kill the Brunhilde?" Summers wondered out loud.

"My money's on the Brunhilde, I saw footage of her win at the Mondo Grosso. She's seriously not human, not even the cameras could keep up with her," Finley snorted.

York shook her head. "Don't count Wyler's sister out. There's a reason she's considered the organization's best."

Their conversation ended however as Monika approached the group, holding a severed head and caked in blood.

"...How was the renaissance Wyler," York asked, eying the severed head wearily.

"More importantly, what the fuck? You smell terrible," Finley added, pinching her nose.

Monika shrugged. "There was a haji spotter six klicks east. He saw me so I chased him down."

"That doesn't really explain all this," York remarked, gesturing to Monika's bloody form.

"Don't worry, I buried the body. I think we should mount the head outside that village that helped the terrorists since we're not allowed to burn it down. It would send a message to those who would aid our enemy."

York slapped her forehead with her palm. "Don't you dare do that Wyler. That'll just encourage more anti-American sentiment in the locals. In other words, it'll make it that much harder for the army when they roll in."

Monika's eyes narrowed. "Is that an order from the team captain?"

"YES! Jesus Wyler, I know you're upset, but you need to calm down. Thinking back won't do anything but make you more angry and upset. Focus on the here and now."

Monika bit back a harsh reply and took a deep breath. Her face contorted into a mask of apathy. However York could tell the girl was still very upset, but at least now she was being professional for the mission's sake.

"Whatever… sorry, I guess," Monika huffed. "Give me your shovel Finley, I'll bury the head."

"Make it quick, it's only a matter of time until they notice their spotter isn't coming back," York ordered.

York hoped that Monika's mood would blow over soon for all of their sakes. She dealy hoped that this would be the one and only spontaneous murder this mission.

"If only Orimura was here," York muttered with a sigh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please read: As of 9/10/2020, all existing chapters have been rewritten into a revised/slight reimagining of the established story. I highly suggest you read this fanfiction from chapter one if you have already started reading before the aforementioned date. Thank you for reading this story and I appreciate your support. **

* * *

**One Week Later**

Ichika had received a dorm number, academy uniforms, and a plethora of textbooks in the uneventful week that passed as his enrollment finally went through. But now the day of reckoning had come. His first day of school since his primary years.

To his right stood a short woman with similarly short green hair.

"I am pleased to announce a new addition to our class. Everybody meet Ichika Orimura, a transfer student from America!" Maya Yamada, the green haired teacher, exclaimed.

"A b-boy!?"

"Hey, he's kinda cute don't you think?"

"Shh, not so loud dummy!"

Chifuyu slammed her clipboard against the wall, immediately silencing the whispers that floated across the classroom. "Quiet down, the transfer student has not finished their introduction."

Ichika's eyes zipped back forth across the classroom, lingering slightly on Laura who was seated in the back left corner. It seemed his identity hadn't been leaked to the general public yet. Every girl save one had a shocked expression painted on their face.

"My name is Ichika Orimura. I have been living in the United States of America for the last six years and as of now will attend the IS Academy for further IS training. It is nice to meet you all," Ichika stated, going for a traditional greeting.

"Is that all Orimura?" Maya asked.

Ichika nodded.

"W-Well class, please give a warm welcome to our new student. I believe there is a seat available for you by Miss Bodewig."

"Yes instructor."

"O-Oh, please just call me Miss Yamada!" Maya stuttered.

"Yes Miss Yamada," Ichika corrected himself before making his way to the aforementioned seat. His skin crawled as every pair of eyes in the classroom followed him. All the attention set off alarm bells in his head. FOXHOUND was like one big bubble of familiar faces who all treated each other like co-workers. After a few professional introductions, meeting new people had been non-existent for the last few years.

Ichika quietly sighed in relief as he took a seat at his desk. It was quite a modern set up with the desk's surface being one big computer screen. Nothing like what he had when he was still a trainee.

"Well now that introductions are out of the way, let's begin our lesson on IS components!"

The first ten minutes made Ichika frown in worry. The next ten only cemented his concern. Topics were explained on a rudimentary level with no substance. It wasn't anything like he was taught. None of the content was new, there was absolutely nothing to learn. But he supposed he should have expected this.

If there was one thing he had to be thankful for, it was sitting in the back of the classroom with Laura. Anyone who wanted to sneak a peek at the boy had to turn around, something that his sister immediately took notice of and swiftly reprimanded. It was a small mercy.

As the lesson dragged on, Ichika tuned most of it out, only paying enough attention to give a satisfactory answer if he was called on. He avoided watching the digital clock on his desk, time only seemed to pass slower if he did.

An eternity later and the lunch bell finally rang over the intercom. Ichika couldn't muster any happiness however, his body was stiff and he felt braindead. Was this what school was like after primary school? Maybe getting kidnapped by Phantom Task wasn't so bad after all.

He was startled from his thoughts as two hands slammed down on his desk. Ichika took notice of the hard calluses on said hands.

"I-Ichika what are you doing here! I heard… I heard you were kidnapped!" The girl shouted.

Ichika looked up to see a girl with long brown hair tied into a slightly messy ponytail. Did he know her? It would have been more than six years ago…

Houki Shinonono, that's who this was. This was Tabane Shinonono's sister and the one he had been close friends with years ago. He felt slightly guilty about not recognizing her. Even though she had grown quite a bit, she still looked like how he remembered her.

"It's been a long time Houki. I guess out of anybody you deserve the truth huh…"

Ichika took a breath as if he was recalling bad memories. "See, I got kidnapped by these terrorists. However before they could make off with me I was rescued by American special forces who were following them. I was in danger here in Japan so I stayed in America where I learned I could pilot IS. One thing kind of led to another and I guess I'm here now."

Laura sent him a sideways glance. She knew he was lying through his teeth.

"I see, that's good then. I was so worried when I got the news that you had been kidnapped," Houki said with a sigh of relief.

Their conversation unfortunately did not go unnoticed by the rest of the class.

"What's the deal, does Shinonono know Ichika or something?"

"She sure is bold, going right up to him like that."

Ichika twitched, he was again the center of attention now that class had ended. It was only a matter of time until some girl became emboldened enough to talk to him. He didn't want to be rude, but if he had trouble connecting with his sister, he doubted they would be any different. Admittedly, his social skills had taken a hit in the six years of isolation from the normal world. He needed a way out.

"Hey Laura, would you mind showing me around the school?" Ichika asked the silver haired girl with a pleading look.

Laura tisked. "I suppose so Orimura, let's go."

"W-Wait Ichika, you don't want Bodewig to show you around, trust me. Though, I guess I could show you around since you're new and all," Houki interjected.

"What did you just say Shinonono?" Laura growled, her eye narrowing.

"I just think I'm more qualified since you yourself transferred here recently. Also it's widely known that you're not really a… people person," Houki retorted.

"I'm qualified for more things than you can imagine Shinonono. Orimura and I have been acquaintances for the past week. You are merely someone he once knew years ago, you're practically strangers," Laura rebuked, rising from her seat.

"Sorry Houki, but I did ask Laura. I'm sure we'll be able to catch up some other time," Ichika placated with an apologetic look.

"W-Wha-"

Ichika and Laura exited into the hallway, leaving behind a shocked classroom of girls.

The German girl led Ichika through the academy halls at a brisk pace. "I'm only doing this to return the favour for the food you have cooked."

"No, it's alright. I've already memorized the academy's layout from the maps. I just wanted to get out of that classroom. Are classes always so dull? Most of what Miss Yamada teaches can be implied from the basic information in our textbooks," Ichika remarked, easily matching Laura's pace.

"You get used to it," Laura simply stated.

"I get the feeling you're not very liked," Ichika said, changing the subject.

Laura gave Ichika an irritated look. "Of Course I'm not. Those children and I live in different worlds, I have no use for their social machinations. However there are a few individuals at this academy to watch out for."

"Like who?"

"Cecillia Alcott, she's in the same class as us and is the representative candidate for Great Britain. That pompous blonde has a strong IS but she herself is an amatuer."

Ichika nodded, filing away the information in his head.

"Then there is that Japanese girl you were talking to, Houki Shinonono. You probably know this, but she is the sister of Tabane Shinonono."

"The mother of all IS and the most wanted woman on this planet," Ichika stated.

"Yes, the younger sister may be the key to Tabane Shinonono. However she is granted asylum here at the academy and thus safe from any international interests," Laura intoned.

"There is also Charlotte Dunois. She is the IS representative candidate for France and a… capable pilot. She is a cheery girl, going out of her way to try and befriend me despite me rejecting her. The girl has asked me about my Schwarzer Regen too many times. I am almost certain she is a spy to collect data for the failing Dunois family."

"The Dunois have an agent in the academy? That's interesting," Ichika remarked.

"Indeed, they even gave her a personal IS. It's much more efficient that their mass produced models. However, it is still third rate French garbage that can't hold a candle to my Schwarzer Regen," Laura stated proudly.

Ichika pursed his lips. Tabane Shinonono's sister, the British representative candidate, a Dunois spy, and Laura herself. Why did he have to be placed in a class that already had the academy's attention.

"What about the pilot of that blue IS. From the warehouse, who was she?" Ichika asked quietly.

Laura frowned. "All I know is that she is Russia's representative and the student council president. She is… dangerous."

Ichika thought back to the warehouse skirmish. Her IS had some sort of water manipulation ability. How water could create clones of herself and a shield capable of stopping IS grade bullets was beyond him. Must be nanomachines or something.

"Hey Laura, let's go to the cafeteria, it is lunch time after all," Ichika offered.

Laura's stomach rumbled, making the girl blush slightly. "I suppose that is a satisfactory course of action."

Ichika blinked, coming to a realization. "Hey Laura?"

"Hm?"

"Are we friends?"

Laura paused, looking back to Ichika in surprise. After a few moments of hesitation, she crossed her arms. "I have my mission Ichika, I do not need friends. Thus my answer is nein, we are not friends."

Ichika shrugged in acceptance. "I suppose we could be allies then. It certainly feels that way to me atleast."

"Allies… yes I suppose that would be acceptable. I will carry out my mission and you will carry out whatever yours is. Though we shall cooperate for mutual benefit," Laura stated, continuing her march to the cafeteria.

Thus, Ichika gained an ally in a most unexpected place.

* * *

Ichika bit into a simple country ham sandwich. Simple bread, cheeze, ham, and a little mayonnaise. He much preferred the humble lunch food. Some of the meals the academy was serving were just ridiculous. Style over substance seemed a staple at the IS Academy.

Laura sat opposite him, a potato salad and bratwurst on her plate. The relative silence the two ate in was not reciprocated by the rest of the cafeteria.

"Look, it's Ichika Orimura, Lady Chifuyu's little brother."

"Why is he eating with Bodewig of all people?"

"Do you think he's single?"

As Ichika feared, a girl confidently approached their table. Giving her a once over, Ichika recalled that she was in the same class as him. She wore a custom tailored outfit that looked more like a dress than a uniform, a stark contrast to Laura's which looked more like an old fashioned German officer's uniform.

She struck a dignified pose in front of Ichika and ran a hand through her long blonde hair. It was only then did Ichika notice two particular blue earrings she wore. A personal IS maybe? Wait a minute, was this the Cecillia Alcott Laura had informed him of?

"Greeting Ichika Orimura. I see that you already have company, but I must ask for a moment of your time," the girl stated.

Ichika sent a glance to Laura who shrugged disinterestedly before returning to her sausage. "I suppose that is alright, may I have your name?"

"You do not know who I am? Preposterous, I am Cecillia Alcott, the representative candidate for Great Britain! As a representative candidate, I am one of the few elite pilots in the entire world. This is signified in my very own personal IS," Cecilia ranted, tilting her head in a way to show off her earrings.

Ichika hummed, so the earrings were her IS in its closed form. "Sorry, in America I was raised in a sheltered environment. I never really knew about any… celebrities. But it's nice to meet you Cecillia Alcott, my name is Ichika Orimura as you already know."

Ichika could practically feel the narcissism radiating from the girl. He decided to layer a little extra faux politeness in his speech as to avoid a verbal spat. The last thing he wanted was a drawn out argument on his first day.

"You should be proud to represent such a nation. Great Britain has been one of our closest allies since the Big War," Ichika added.

Cecellia nodded. "Indeed, it is only natural for world superpowers that share such close cultural ties to stand together."

Laura's scoff went unnoticed by Cecillia.

"On to the matter at hand however, I have come to share some of my great generosity with you, what a lucky boy you are. I, Cecilia Alcott, am most willing to share my elite knowledge with the new student. I may even extend the offer of private lessons if you ask politely," Cecilia offered with a confident smile.

"Thank you for the offer Miss Alcott, but I think I will decline," Ichika answered

"Wha-, I'll have you know I defeated an instructor during the entrance exam, which means I am an elite among the elite. Why in god's name would you turn down an offer to learn under the wing of someone as noble as myself?" Cecilia demanded, stamping her foot.

Ichika mentally sighed. "I see, defeating an instructor is quite an impressive feat. Though I still must turn down your generous offer, I simply don't think your teaching style will be compatible with me."

Cecilia looked taken aback. "You think my capacity to instruct is lacking? Absolutely absurd! I, Cecilia Alcott, have had the pleasure of gracefully defeating my enemies on the battlefield through practical training back in England. Pray tell transfer student, what would you know of the battlefield and its infinite glories?"

"What would I know?"

* * *

"**You people truly are heartless**."

"**To think a child would have the capacity for such evil. You Americans disgust me**."

"**It… hurts**."

"**...Why?**"

* * *

Ichika gave Cecillia a flat smile. "I suppose I wouldn't know much. But I wouldn't imagine the battlefield is a very glorious place."

Cecilia huffed. "I suppose it comes with experience. You got my hopes up with your sophisticated manners, but in the end you're just a commoner."

"Honestly, I already have a good grasp on the material we're learning in class and Laura here has already agreed to train me," gesturing to Laura who looked up from her meal with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes… that is what we mutually agreed upon," Laura stated stoically. "It is probably for the best as I AM the best pilot in our class."

Cecilia's rebuke was cut off by Laura's single eyed glare.

"Do not forget yourself Alcott. I destroyed you and your precious IS once, I will always be capable of doing it again."

The blonde grimaced for a single moment before morphing her face into an aloof mask. "Fine, have it your way Bodewig. I, Cecilia Alcott, am generous enough to bestow upon you my expertise should you reconsider Ichika Orimura."

With that, Cecilia retreated, no longer feeling as self righteous. Ichika and Laura watched the blonde as she disappeared into the crowded cafeteria.

"How the mighty have fallen," Laura spat.

"Who are you referring to?" Ichika questioned.

"Britain of course. Once a mighty empire reduced to a puny island too enraptured by their past to look to the future."

Ichika frowned. "I was serious when I spoke highly of Britain. Steeped in tradition they may be, they are our greatest allies within NATO. Guaranteed, they aren't as strong as they historically were, but they are still a formidable nation."

"The schwarzer Hase could take London before those tea drinkers could even begin to mobilize," Laura muttered under her breath.

Ichika sighed. "Think of them like a sleeping lion. There was a time when they were the world's peacekeepers and I don't think the sun has set on them just yet."

"An old lion then. One with its teeth fallen out and its claws dulled," Laura retorted.

"Believe what you want Laura, my opinion on the British remains," Ichika stated with a shrug.

"And what of Cecillia Alcott, do you extend that opinion to her?" Laura questioned.

"I'm unsure to be honest. Just by talking with her I can tell she's been handed everything she's ever wanted in life. She's naturally beautiful and was probably born talented. It's obvious her ego is inflated. However pride is one of the easier traits to temper when it comes to making a good pilot," Ichika replied, thinking back to Monika who was a bundle of pride and talent.

"Naturally beautiful you say? Is that your honest evaluation of her or have you been seduced by her enormous chest?" Laura scoffed.

Ichika sighed in exasperation. He couldn't tell if what the silver haired girl said was a joke or a legitimate question. Knowing Laura however, it was probably the latter.

* * *

**That Night**

He and Laura had gone their separate ways after the latter half of classes had ended. As expected, the afternoon classes were just as uninteresting as the morning's. The only stand out thing that happened was the class going outside to witness how a proper dive was performed.

Ichika refused to volunteer. He could count the number of people who weren't comrades or dead that had seen Fukurō on one hand. It instinctively felt wrong to let a class full of girls ogle his IS and its capabilities, especially with the Dunois spy amongst them.

That was something he'd been feeling ever since he got captured. It just felt wrong to be here. It was boring, uneventful, and it felt excessively comfortable. This wasn't who he was raised to be.

Did he begin to love killing so much as to miss it? No, he didn't think so. As the instructor once said, it was their solemn duty. Yes, it was a job that was his, a job he had been groomed for. It was a job that you just couldn't quit. He just hoped his comrades were working fine in his absence.

There was a silver lining though. Laura Bodewig was like a beacon of familiarity, something he silently appreciated. In most situations she thought like him and vice versa. They thought like soldiers.

However that was not enough, he needed something more. Unfortunately, his plan to procure a weapon, preferably a firearm, from the American IS representative candidate Natasha Fairs, had to be scrapped. Unluckily for him, Natasha had recently returned to America.

Luckily though, he had a backup plan, albeit a bit of a risky one.

It was a plan he and Monika had thought up a long time ago out of boredom. The premise was simple, leave secret caches of weapons and supplies around the world in designated locations. In theory, a stranded operative would be able to tap into these caches in an emergency situation. At the time however, it merely sounded like something fun to do in Monika and Ichika's spare time.

They'd taken the idea to Angela who'd dismissed it as a waste of time. There was little down time for FOXHOUND operators and most just kept training between missions.

It was only after a bit of begging and Monika pulling the little sister card did Angela fold. In the end, the two had received permission to go through with their little project on the condition that they would do it in their own time.

After missions, the pair would gather excess munitions and either start a new cache or add to an existing one depending on what country they were deployed too. Despite Angela spreading the word about their pet project, the caches were barely used if at all. Consequently, they're global stockpile had grown to such a degree that Angela had to tell them to stop.

Even though the munitions couldn't be traced back to the organization and the chances of a non operator even finding one was close to zero, the two were forced to stop at Angela's firm 'no'. Monika had been pretty put off but Ichika understood. They must have buried several million dollars worth of equipment. Despite their advanced technology, FOXHOUND did actually have a budget.

Their Japanese stash wasn't near as big as some of their other ones. However it wasn't small either. While Ichika's only Japan deployment had ended up in his current situation, Monika had been in Japanese air space several times before.

He remembered the cache's hiding spot though, he'd committed all of their general locations to memory. Several feet underground on a mountain within the Nagano Prefecture. With his IS, it wasn't that long of a flight.

From an objective standpoint, there was greater risk in possessing military grade weapons at the academy than being without them. However, Ichika was spurred on by personal desire.

Thus Ichika stood atop one of the academy facility's rooftops. It was dark enough now, he was confident he could sneak out. He checked his watch, he had enough time.

"It's been a while Fukurō," Ichika muttered, his IS materializing around him and encompassing him in a familiar embrace.

He liked talking to Fukurō, he was sure she could hear him even though she never responded. If she really wanted to talk to him she could just snatch his consciousness.

Muscle memory guided him as his feathers unfurled as his noise suppression field activated and he blasted off, silent as the night sky itself.

His heart soared as his senses heightened, courtesy of Fukurō's hyper sensor. Feeling the rush as he tore through the chilly air, he activated his newly acquired second shift. Immediately his IS underwent the same transformation as it did at the warehouse.

As his tail feathers materialized, Ichika picked his speed up exponentially. Soon even the sound barrier was shattered, the sonic boom caught within his sound suppression field.

It didn't take long at all to reach his destination, touching down on the side of the mountain.

"Could you pull up the GPS Fukurō," Ichika asked his IS. He and Monika had uploaded the coordinates of all the caches into their IS. It only took a bit of land navigation to figure out where the cache was hidden.

It only took a minute, but Ichika was confident that he stood atop the cache. However there was one complication. No matter where he looked, he just couldn't find a shovel at the IS academy.

"Sorry Fukurō," Ichika muttered, using one of his feathers as a gigantic metal shovel. He was used to getting Fukurō pretty dirty on missions, but that was different. It was almost always for the purpose of killing the enemy, something he was sure Fukurō took pleasure in. He just hoped she wouldn't yell at him the next time he saw her.

He was startled from his thought however as he saw the corner of a tarp he supposed Monika used to make sure none of the munitions got dirty.

Empowered by his IS, Ichika hauled the entire tarp that held the supplies in one giant bundle out of the hole he had dug. Despite its durability, he gently set the tarp down and carefully undid the fascenings, letting the tarp unfurl.

Ammo cans, magazines of all sizes, several different gun cases, special ammunition, combat knives, field rations, a few ballistic vests, and a few empty duffle bags for transport. Ichika's mouth was slightly agape, he didn't think the stash would be this big. This was a lot more than what Monika had told him she'd stashed.

However one last thing fell out of the tarp. A satellite phone rolled onto the dirt, confusing him. Since when did they stash sat phones? Picking it up, he noticed the battery was long dead. Curious, he transferred some of Fukurō's power into the phone, charging it instantly.

There was a single recorded message to his surprise. Recorded messages were a bit of a taboo in the organization. Ichika selected the message and a wall of black text appeared on the phone's screen.

_Hi Ichika, it's Monika. If you're reading this and your not Ichika then don't read this you dirty fuck. I'm not going to use our code names because I really just don't care and it's not like our names are really on the grid. Well, I guess yours is now, but whatever. Anyways, if you're reading this then you came for the Japan cache. Considering you dug it up, there's either some people who you want dead, or you're in some sort of trouble. Though, I guess you might have some other reason, you're weird like that. Either way, if you're in trouble, then contact me using this phone. I don't care if it's disobeying orders, you can count on me. By the way, I packed some extra stuff into the cache after you got captured in case you needed it. Well, I guess that's all Ichika, stay safe and good luck._

_P.S, sorry I wasn't strong enough back at the warehouse._

_P.P.S, you owe me an apology for that little heroic sacrifice you pulled, you asshole._

Ichika smiled wistfully as his friend's crude words managed to touch his heart. He'd have to thank Monika when he saw her again… and apologize.

He sighed however as he looked back at the cache. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't bring it all. It all needed to hide in his room after all. Wait a minute, he'd completely forgot about the prospect of a roommate.

Would the academy really assign him with a female roommate? Sure he'd roomed with girls most of his life, but that was FOXHOUND. Things would get much harder if they did assign him a roommate. He wasn't confident enough in his talking skills to get them to cooperate with his blatant smuggling of military arms into the academy. He'd just have to hide the weapons immediately and somehow keep the secret from whoever he was rooming with.

Ichika pushed that to the back of his mind as he began packing. A few gun cases, ammo crates, two ballistic vests, and he clipped three knives to his waist.

This would have to make do, Ichika decided, packing away the rest back into the hole.

It took just a few minutes to recover the hole and cover his tracks. He checked his watch, he could still return by nine. Surely nobody would question him being gone for a measly hour.

His mind raced as he took off once again, two duffle bags tucked on his arm. Could he ask Chifuyu-nee to switch rooms? Maybe a little bribery could do the trick. Or maybe, maybe he could get rid of the girl and make it look like an accident.

No, no, that was a cruel line of thought. But maybe… no.

He pondered his options as he once again zipped through the air at supersonic speeds. In the end however, he supposed he'd have to improvise. It was much easier to plan his actions ahead of time when there was an actual target to neutralize.

Fukurō silently touched down atop the same roof he had first taken off from. Ichika grunted as the IS reverted to its closed form and the weight of the two duffle bags weighed him down. The bags weighed substantially, but he'd carried heavier packs through the deserts of Southern Afghanistan.

He took lesser known routes through the academy campus and after a slightly tiring fifteen minute trek, he'd finally reached the dormitories. Opting to take the staircase instead of the elevator, Ichika made it to the third floor, his room was somewhere around here. He roamed the hallway until he finally reached his desired location, room 1163.

His nerves slightly flared as he laid his hand on the door knob. All he had to do was introduce himself like he did to his class. It wasn't that hard; meeting new people was easy. He'd killed people with a straight face, this should be a piece of cake.

"Good evening, my name is Ichika Orimura. Nice to meet you," Ichika muttered under his breath as he slowly turned the knob.

With a slight creak, the door swung open.

Ichika sighed, exasperation flushing out the nervousness. "I should have expected this."

"Ja, good evening Ichika."


End file.
